Soleanna
by rain0205
Summary: Rogue struggles, trying to accept Gambits interest in her. Meanwhile, the X-men are visited by someone completely unexpected. Remy and Rogue must learn to get along, for the sake of their daughter...
1. Prologue

Hello. This is something I've cooked up recently, don't know what to call it as of yet, but I'll think of something. I do not own any of the characters that belong to marvel, just my ideas and my so far one character. Thanks for checking it out.

...

Clouds of smoke hang in the air. The sun never shines anymore. The world is filled with chaos, no redemption for the wicked. It was a cruel world, where one's fate is decided by birth. Humans no longer exist, only mutants and sentinels. It's a struggle, fighting is the only way to survive. No one lives forever, they're lucky to live five minutes in this hell hole.

Together, they flee for their lives. The sentinels are relentless, but the three are not ready to quit anytime soon. She looks to the two men who saved her, raised her, and never once abandoned her. The attack came, knocking her off course. She recovers quickly, seeing the two men, her father and uncle, run to her rescue. Her father attacks, looking over at his companion.

"We don't have much time, we have to get there now!" her uncle yells. Her father nods, unleashing one more attack. She grabs the two of them, taking off into the air towards their destination. She utilizes one of her many mutant powers to speed things up.

They arrive shortly, although the journey didn't feel that way. The sentinels are far behind, but she knows they'll continue their pursuit. The door is sealed, they were safe-for now. The lab always gives her the creeps. It is the only haven in this cruel and unforgiving world, and the sense that they will soon be discovered rises high. She walked passed the last line of defense, sighing sadly to herself.

"You're late," said Forge. He was hard at work with his computer, not even bothering to look at them.

"Got caught up in some new world paradise," her uncle growled.

"Is she ready?"

"Ask her."

"Ready for what? What are you talking about?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"To go back in time and stop this chaos from happening," explained Forge.

"What's the objective?" asked her uncle.

"Stop any mention of this mutant paradise and free world."

"Don't your records show what could have caused this?"

"No. Whatever caused this covered their tracks. They don't want us to meddle with it."

"How long do I have to be there?" she asked, looking at her father. He smiles warmly at her, in that comforting way he always did.

"As long as it takes," Forge looks at her sadly.

"No."

"No?" the three men repeated.

"I won't do it. I can't leave all of you!"

"Look kid, I'm not to keen on it myself, but you're our only chance. We need you," her uncle speaks in a tone only reserved for certain people.

"Why me? Why can't someone else go?"

"Because you are the only one with the tools necessary to stop this," said Forge.

"No! You all need me here!" she shouted, refusing to cry.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, "C'mon _petite, _you can dis for us. Dis world, it ain't right. No place for you to grow up. Do dis for me, _non_?" he tells her softly. She looks up into his eyes.

"We have to move! Now!" exclaims Forge.

"Remember what I tell you. Find de prof., he take you in. De X-men be your best chance, _peitite_. Be strong for me."

She nods, letting only one tear fall, "Okay..."

"We'll be here when you get back, kid," her uncle speaks to her.

"Logan..."

Her father kisses her forehead, hugging her a last time, "_J'taime."_

"I love you too, _pere,__" _she whispers. She knew her words reached him. They break apart from the hug, and she walks towards Forge.

"After you locate the X-men, find me and explain the situation," he tells her. She nodded at him as he places a small pearl in her hands, "This will help you exist in that time period. Don't lose it, or you will instantly return here. Good luck."

"Wait _petite_!" she looks into the eyes of her father. She catches the object he throws at her, before jumping into the time portal, red on black the last thing she sees.

...

"Remy, Ah've tole ye, it can't happen!" Rogue screamed at Gambit for the umpteenth time. He was pushing for a relationship, a kiss, a small touch, always something she couldn't do. It was'nt that she didn't want to be with him, but with her inability to touch, it just wouldn't work. He was always trying anyway, and it was extremely flattering, but how could a womanizer be happy with her?

"Gambit don' mind, _chere_. Jus' a chance?" he wouldn't let her get away. He just couldn't.

"It won't work! Why can' you understand that?" her voice thick with her southern brogue in anger.

"_Chere_, y'don' know 'till we try," he raised an eyebrow suggestively to her. She slams her fists down on her bed and takes off out the window. Gambit sighs, defeated for now. He won't give up on her, he can't. Something always pulls him back to her. He rarely hears no, and when he does, he usually accepts it. But for some reason, with Rogue, he won't take no.

They have this conversation frequently, at least, once a week. It's not like she doesn't know how serious he is, she's absorbed him quite a few times. Leaving her room, he thinks of what he can do to occupy his time. With Wolverine and Storm off on a mission, and Rogue gone every now and then, he didn't know what to do with himself.

-X-men, make your way to the war room- he heard the voice of Professor Xavier in his head. Smiling at his prayers being answered, he made his way down the familiar hallway to the war room.

"What's up Professor?" asked Jubilation. Gambit sometimes thought the young mutant seemed way too enthusiastic sometimes.

"Cerebro has just detected two completely different masses of energy. They arrived at the same time but on opposite ends of the world. The field created around them was like nothing of this world. It's truly fascinating," explained Beast.

"Whatever it is, they are confirmed life forms. Once is a mutant, the other I can't get a grasp on. I'll need some time to confirm," said Xavier.

"Do you want us to check it out?" asked Cyclops.

"Yes. Rogue, Gambit, Beast and Emma, you four take the Blackbird and go look in on the disturbance in Japan. The rest of you, take any vehicle in the garage and find that mutant. We must determine if theses are hostile threats. Your coordinates will be given momentarily. Dismissed."

"Looks like we together again, _chere_," said Gambit, walking beside Rogue.

"Just watch your back, Cajun. Ah ain't doin it for ya," she replied, smiling.

"No worries, _chere_. Gambit always watch your backside," he smirked at her. She rolled her emerald eyes and continued walking.

...

She didn't know where she had landed. She could see the clear blue of the sky though, and that seemed promising. She smiled, having never seen such beauty before. She didn't hear the screams of war, just the sound of cars and people. She had really made it! But where was she? How could she know? Making sure no one was looking, she flew into the air and on top of the nearest building.

This place, this time... It was a free world! If only her father and uncle were hear to see this... She narrowed her eyes at a van that stopped in front of the building across the street. Whoever was inside, they were looking for her. Who could know of her in this time period? Probing their minds, gently, she only learned they were full of good intentions. There was a telepath with them, and she didn't want their minds connecting.

It appeared she wasn't as stealthy as she thought. Four mutants appeared before her in the blink of an eye. She gazed intently at them, prepared for a fight if needed.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Do not fear us, child," the girl with long red hair spoke, 'We've only come to see if you need any help."

"What is your purpose here in this world?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's the status of mutant and human?"

"They are struggling to accept us. But-"

"So it's still war. At least there are less casualties. Now tell me, where can I find Charles Xavier?"

The red head and the guy with the visor looked at each other. She could tell they were mentally communicating.

"We can take you to him. What's your name?" asked the guy with the visor.

"Soleanna Marie LeBeau."

...

and that's it. please let me know what you think, thanks for reading :), other chapters will be longer


	2. The Past

Hello again. Here is another chapter to my sadly still titleless story. If anyone can help me out with that, great! I will do my best to figure it out. Thanks to my review and let's get on with the show!

...

Soleanna was confused by the look of the mutants on the way back to the mansion. Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler and Colossus seemed surprised to learn her identity, and she had no idea why. The car ride was silent, but Sole preferred it that way. She only wanted to tell the story once and get back to her dad asap.

She was astounded by the mansion when they drove up. She had only heard stories, had small pieces of memories taken from her father and uncle. Her eyes drifted to the clear sky above her, knowing that soon she would be able to soar freely. She smiled for the first time in years, wishing it would be like this when she returned home. First, she had to take care of business. There were children, mutant children, running around, completely free. This place... why couldn't they return with her? They could have the life they always wanted. She would't cry, not now, now ever.

They stopped in front of the massive building, Sole getting out quickly. Being inside a confined space didn't appeal to her so much. A bald man in a wheel chair was waiting at the door, flanked by a younger girl with brown hair. Sole knew that he had to be Xavier, but her mind couldn't focus on him yet. The sky, it beckoned to her. Business first. She looked into the eyes of the Professor. They were wise, kind, and curious. She knew he was a telepath, one of the most powerful in the world, so getting him to believe her story wasn't going to be much of a problem. The girl next to him seemed to have a haunted look on her face. Sole sighed. Her eyes seemed to have that effect on new people. It was hereditary, and she didn't feel like she should hide them.

"Hello child. I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I welcome you to my institute," the Professor spoke.

"We need to talk. It's very important," she said, trying not to be rude. He nodded in complete understanding, turning his chair around and leading her inside. They arrived in a room that she could only assume was his office. He pulled up to his desk, seeing as he was already seated, and waited for her to sit. She was painfully aware of the other five mutants in the room, but her father said that the X-men would help her. Taking her seat, she searched for a way to begin. It was such a long story, filled with such hardships she hated thinking about it. She'd only have to tell it once, just once, and then it would all be over, she could focus on her mission.

"My name is Soleanna Marie LeBeau. I come from a world in the future, one completely in chaos. Mutants are hunted, kidnapped, and taken in for who knows what. Humans are non-existent, its us versus the sentinels. My father, he sacrificed everything to keep us safe, my uncle busted us out of the lab. We were fighting, we're always fighting. I don't know how long it's been, the days go by so fast.

"We reached our lab, the secret base of operations. It's the only sanctuary we have. They sent me back, hoping to change our future. The problem is, all files have been deleted, the records completely gone. Whoever or whatever the cause is, covered their tracks completely, no way to figure it out. They don't this to change. I often wonder why someone would want this kind of world...

"My father and my uncle sent me back here. They told me Xavier and the X-men could help. I can't fail. I don't want to go back, I want to save my family," her tone was level and unemotional.

"What happens to us in your future?" asked Jean.

"The X-men don't exist. Most of them were killed, captured, or disappeared. I need to find a mutant named Forge, and I need your help to keep this mutant paradise shit out of play. From what I heard, that's when everything started to fuck up. It took place around my birth, so I can't be certain when it's going to happen. I had four or five good years, and then the war started. I watched everyone die, and then around age eleven, we were captured. My mother, father, and uncle. I remember seeing them all strapped to chairs. I don't know what they're doing to mutants, and I don't want to know. I want to stop it before it happens."

"How did you survive?" asked Xavier.

"Sheer will power, and the help of my father and uncle."

"One action to plummet the whole world into utter chaos. It's all so unreal..."

"I need to find Forge."

"Understood. I will begin my search when the other X-men return. We'll need all the resources we can get to find the source of this disturbance. In the meantime, Jean will show you to your room. You are welcome to stay here as long as needed."

"Thank you."

Soleanna stood, following the red haired woman out of the office and towards the elevator. She wondered why a two story mansion needed a secret elevator, but she supposed there was more than meets the eye. Instead of going upstairs, Jean pushed a button to go into the lower levels. Sole narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I don't need to read your mind to know that you're curious," said Jean, breaking the silence.

"I didn't think rooms would be in the basement," she stated in her flat tone.

"Your life has been so unhappy... I'm sorry for your suffering."

"You have no idea."

"Who are your parents?" asked Jean, stepping out of the elevator.

"Don't worry about them, it's not your burden."

"It's not good to keep everything inside."

"My father knows everything. He's the only one I can talk to."

"We'll figure this out and you can go back to him soon enough. What's your mutant power?"

"Whatever I inherited from my mom."

"And I assume you have your father's eyes?" Jean smirked.

"Well yeah... How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. This is the danger room. I wanted to show you this in case you need to blow off some steam. I know you probably don't want to fight anymore, but I also know it's the only thing your life has been."

"Thanks. But I really want to get in the air. I've never seen a blue sky or the sun before."

Jean smiled sadly, "I'll take you to your room. The rest of the tour can wait."

"Thank you."

...

Soleanna looked around the room provided to her by Xavier. It wasn't a guest room, this seemed more permanent. It was spacious, very spacious. On-suite full bathroom. She couldn't wait to get into that tub. She couldn't remember the last time she showered. The room was clean, it had its own television. She couldn't remember what it was like to see non-threatening reports on it. Sighing, she would need clothes before she could even think about cleaning herself. She opened one of the drawers, and noticed there were already clothes in there. She found that strange, going into the bathroom, noticing there were no personal items in there. So this wasn't someone's room accidently given to her. Then why would there be clothes already in the drawers? She pulled out a pair of pants, knowing they would fit. Strange.

-Consider it a gift. I noticed you didn't have any bags. Don't be afraid to ask for anything you need- she heard Xavier's voice. She smiled for the second time that day. Her father was right about the Professor. He would do anything to take care of her. He assured her she would be safe, and in good hands.

She sat on the bed, taking out the last thing her father gave her. It was small, silver, and irreplaceable. She looked at the box. It was locked, like it always was. She had never seen it open, never knew what was inside. He told her she had to figure it out. Only then would she get answers, understand why she was so important. The box had a puzzle to it, and she couldn't for the life of her figure it out. She tried only once, and knew that she could't get it.

...

_"What is it dad?" she asks him. He is playing with the silver cube. She is young, no more than ten._

_"Dis petite?" he places the box in her small hands, "Dis be de answers t'all your questions."_

_"How do I open it?"_

_"Not yet. Soon, it give you everyt'ing you need t'know. You more important in dis life den anyone else. You my whole life, petite."_

_She leans her head in his lap, "Will we ever be free again?"_

_"Soon, belle, soon. You meet de Professor soon, and he help you."_

_"Will you be with me?"_

_He stroked her long strawberry coloured hair, "I be wit' you always, Sole. Y'can' get rid o' me."_

_..._

He sacrificed everything for her, even in the sick world they lived in. Unlike her mother. She betrayed them, abandoned them. That woman would never earn her forgiveness. For all Sole cared, she wished the woman dead. It was harsh, yes, but Sole didn't owe the woman anything. She left them to die in that lab, didn't even look back once. How could she care about someone like that? Sole wished she'd never see the woman again.

Sole ran the water in the bath. She had gone through all the clothes and found very few things she liked. She would have to talk to the Professor about acquiring more. She would need more than three outfits if she was going to be here for a while. Warm water, something she rarely ever experienced. It seemed so unfair that she was in paradise while her family was stuck struggling to survive. She laid her head back, letting the water take its toll. She had never felt so clean before, the dirt literally falling off her. She let her whole face flow under water. She didn't dare close her eyes. If she slept, it would bring back all the memories. There was no way she was going to let that happen.

Maybe an hour later, dressed in fresh clothes, she frantically searched for her cigarettes. It was the only secret she kept from her father, for fear of disappointing him. Finally locating them, she opened the window, deciding it would be in poor taste to smoke in the mansion. She lifted herself off the ground, a smile on her face. She let herself fall freely, the wind and warmth of the sun making her feel relaxed. It was the first time she didn't feel fear about being so out in the open. It was invigorating.

She regained control of herself and settled on the roof of the mansion. She lit her cigarette the way she'd seen her father do it thousands of times. She peered into the window beside her perch. The room was gorgeous, pant life everywhere. The smell, despite the window being closed, was indescribable. It put her mind at ease, only temporarily. This world, time period, it was what her father always wanted for her. Her only regret was that he wasn't with her.

Sighing sadly, she looked into the sky, seeing a small jet and a bigger one circle the mansion. They were preparing to land, her senses finding something strange in the air. Perhaps it was the feeling of her mission starting, the first step towards freedom. Taking her last drag, she got off the roof and flew back into her room. She kept the window open, liking the idea of fresh air for a change. She used her telepathy to find the Professor, making her way to him.

The other X-men had to be back, the search for Forge being her top priority. As much as she didn't want to leave this place, she wanted to return to her father. She tried not to think about it, think of it as abandoning them. She wasn't going to be like her mother.

...

The returning X-men gathered in the war room for a debriefing. Storm and Wolverine were first, the two of them had been gone much longer. There was a mutant issue back in her home town, Wolverine assigning himself to personally escort her. They found the source of the problem, and made it quiet for now. Hopefully the two of them wouldn't have to return any time soon.

Rogue, Gambit, Beast, and Emma were next. It was a surprise that the four of them were back so soon. They should have been gone longer, gathering as much information as they could. The team sat around, some members choosing not to attend. Professor Xavier seemed to be in deep thought, but the others knew he was listening intently. Finally, he snapped out of his trance, looking briefly to the two southern members of his team.

"Tell me, what did you find over in Japan?" the Professor asked.

"Nothing. It was as if the distortion never happened," explained Beast.

"Any life forms?"

"None. I know Cerebro detected two life patterns, but I couldn't find any trace of it anywhere," said Emma.

"Not'ing in de streets," said Gambit.

"And nothing air born," concluded Rogue.

"It's strange. I was sure there was something else there..." Xavier trailed. He closed his eyes, taking in a breath. This was not the news he wanted to hear. He didn't want to question the new mutant quite yet either, he knew she was enjoying the vacation from turmoil. Besides, hew as sure the girl would be along shortly.

"There is nothing more we can do. I'll have to do some more research and see what I can find. You are dismissed for now," the Professor spoke, going back into his thoughts.

Everyone except Jean, Scott, Logan, Hank and Remy left the room. The Cajun thought about following Rogue, but decided to let her be for now. The Professor became engrossed in Cerebro, hoping to find the answers he needed.

"It's strange that this life form so suddenly disappeared," mused Beast.

"Gambit t'ink dat maybe it never be dere in the de first place," said Remy, lazily playing with a deck of cards. He was sitting back in his chair, his feet up and a bored expression on his face. Xavier was silent.

"I measured the energy levels myself, there's no mistake."

"If Emma didn't find anything with her mind, it could be possible that whatever it was could detect Cerebro," said Jean.

"If it can block Cerebro, then we'll have no chance of finding it," said Scott, looking over at the Professor.

Wolverine sniffed a few times, "Who's the new meat?" he grunted, pointing in the direction of the door.

"New meat?" questioned Beast.

"The new girl running around here. She'll be in this room in about five minutes."

"I am amazed, Logan. You sense of smell is truly fascinating."

"Never doubt it."

"She was found near the source of the other disturbance. Turns out we were exactly who she was looking for, and a mutant named Forge. She's a time traveler, trying to save her future," explained Scott.

"Typical. Who blew it this time?"

"No one knows. All records were destroyed, this appears to be a serious threat," said Jean.

"Fascinating. Does she have any other leads? Or just Forge?" asked Beast.

"Something about a mutant paradise. She doesn't know how it starts, but she's asked us to keep an ear open," replied Scott.

"What's her mutant power?"

"She didn't really answer. I do know she can fly and has telepathy. I can't say for sure how developed she is, and I also suspect there is more power. I didn't want to pry," answered Jean.

"Sounds like dis _chere_ be dangerous," said Gambit, not really interested in the current conversation. He didn't even look up when he heard the door open.

"This kid got a name?" asked Logan.

"Soleanna LeBeau," Sole said, walking into the room. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight before her. She had only come to look for Xavier, but she had heard her uncle's voice. She hurried her pace to make sure she wasn't hearing things. But there he was, staring at her in disbelief. His eyes weren't as kind as she was used to, but she had to remember that in this time period, he didn't know her. It made her slightly sad.

But there was yet another reason she was so surprised. Sitting on the other side of the room, her father. He looked directly at her, a look of utter shock occupying his face. Shew as happy to see him, and restrained herself greatly. She wanted to run to him, wanted to throw her arms around him and be engulfed in one of his comforting hugs. But she couldn't, he didn't know her here. She wouldn't cry though, as hard as it was to have this kind of knowledge. She didn't expect to see the only people in her life here. She should have expected it thought, with how often they spoke of this place. But it didn't make any difference.

"I don't believe it," said Logan.

"_Merde..._" trailed Remy. He looked up at the mutant in question, his ears perked up after hearing his own last name. She was standing in the doorway, long strawberry hair, tall. But it was his own eyes he saw that nearly stopped his heart. This girl, who was she? She stared back at him, and it wasn't helping his nerves. What was going on here?

...

thank you so much for taking the time to read. i promise i will have more remy and rogue, just trying to get through the beginning. thanks again!


	3. Realizations

Hello hello, thanks for joining me again.. thank you for the reviews and let's hope i can get a title for this thing soon!

...

"Merde..." Remy heard the new mutant girl's name. He wouldn't normally belive that this gorl had any relation to him, but she bore his same demon eyes. There was no doubt about it, she had to be somehow connected to him. But how? He had been with many women, but he was so careful, so precise, as was built into him at an early age. Had it backfired?

"What is this? Some kind of joke?" asked Logan, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the new mutant. Sole knew that his claws were itching to come out and threaten her. Problem was, he had taught her himself to fight, she knew all his tricks. It pained her to know that he was acting this way, but she expected no less.

"No joke," she replied calmly.

He unleashed his claws, "Something don't smell right. Start talking."

"It's just as they said, I'm here to save the world."

"That ain't what I had in mind," he growled.

"_Attendre, ami_. I be de one askin' de quesitons," said Gambit. He walked over to the young mutant girl, remembering that she came from the future. If the truth he suspected came into play, he wasn't exactly sure how he could handle it. All eyes were on them, but if she really was who he thought she was, the pressure wouldn't be a problem. He was rarely thrown off guard, and didn't know where to start, "Who are you?" were his first words.

"Soleanna LeBeau," she replied, trying to keep her voice level. She noticed a small crack, but she hoped no one else caught it.

"How you come about dat name?"

"My father," she answered simply. She couldn't read the look in his eyes.

"His name, _petite_?"

She smiled sadly, "Remy LeBeau."

"Merde..." he repeated softly to himself. The confession he was afraid to hear had just happened. This strange girl standing in front of him was his own flesh and blood. He had never thought much about children, never settling down and actually having one, but something had changed because here she was. So many questions, yet, he couldn't form the words. He seemed so sure of his destiny, but this child appearing here pretty much decided his fate. Looking over her face, he could barely see traces of the mother. He wondered who she could be. He ran a hand through his hair, before taking his leave.

Sole sighed, wishing this younger version of her father had his memories. She wasn't expecting him to be here, and didn't know what to expect when she told him the news. She didn't even want to think about her uncle's reaction. His eyes were still on her, completely distrusting. He had at least sheathed his claws, that was a good sign.

"I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but I don't like you, and I'll be watching," said Wolverine.

"I'm sure you will, Logan," she replied.

"How do you know my name?"

"You're... my uncle..."

He grunted, standing up, "You better watch your mouth, kid," he told her before exiting the room. Her eyes were still on the same place her uncle was sitting. The room was silent, the other X-men not knowing what to say. Sole sighed, looking towards the Professor.

"Soleanna," she heard her name. She looked to the source and saw a blue, fuzzy beast looking mutant. He walked up to her, extending his hand, "I'm Hank McCoy, delighted to make your acquaintance."

She blinked, taking his hand, "THE Hank McCoy?"

"Is there any other?"

"Probably, but I only know you."

"Soleanna, was there something you needed?" the Professor asked.

"Oh, well, I was wondering when we could start the search for Forge..."

"Soon. I'm trying to find the source of this other disturbance."

"Disturbance?"

"Yes, one that appeared at the same time you did. Did anyone else travel through time with you?"

"No, just me. Is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure yet. If we had some information, we could figure it out."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"As of right now, no. But until I can figure this out, perhaps it would be best if you spoke to Jubilee about any extra teaching you could do."

"Teaching?"

"Yes. Here, we teach mutants to control their powers, for the benefit of society."

"I... don't know what I could possibly teach."

"Talk to Kitty as well. Between the two of them, they could find something for you."

"But... Children, I..."

"You'll be fine. If you obtain the desired future, you might as well get used to being around children."

"I... yeah..." she walked away. Children... she had never been around them before, had no idea how to handle them. This teaching gig just proved that she was going to be here for a while. But she needed the help of everyone in the mansion, so if she had to do it, then she would get it done. She just wished she had more time to prepare for this.

She flew out the nearest window, lighting a cigarette as she lingered in the air. Whoever thought that a life crisis would arise from having to teach kids? She found that funny. People here wouldn't understand her protest, why she didn't want to teach children. She did understand how retarded it all sounded to the others around here, but... she was who she was. She fought off sentinels and other threats to her life, how bad could teaching children be?

...

Remy was outside, leaning on his bike, cigarette in hand. He couldn't get his head around the fact that he had a daughter. What was he supposed to do? She knew him, but he knew nothing of her. Exhaling, he threw the smoke away and crossed his arms over his chest. His read was racing with all kinds of different thoughts, and for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. He knew he had to talk to her, felt obligated to help her. He had to know everything about her. But where would he even begin? It probably didn't help that he just walked away from her. He sighed, lighting another cigarette. He had originally come here to go for a ride, but he couldn't run. This was something that running would't fix, something that only he could figure out.

He saw a shadow, indicating that someone was around. He didn't have to look to know who it was, he could smell her sweet aroma as always. It was a scent that he would never forget. He felt the warmth of her beside him. She would know if something was wrong with him, just by the way he didn't acknowledge her.

"Ah heard there was a new mutant here..." she started hesitantly.

"_Oui,_" he said simply. She was nervous, that much he could tell.

"She's... your daughter..." it was as if the words drove a knife right through her. Remy could tell, the fragile relationship they had was killing her with this knowledge, "Who's is she?"

"I don' know _chere_. Didn't get a chance to ask."

"Ya mean there's so many women ya can't remember?" there was an edge in her voice, one that Gambit should have caught before taking the next move.

"It's not like that..."

"Then what is it? Who is it?!"

"_Chere, _y'don' understand. She-"

"No, you don't understand! Ya want us together and y'can't even remember something serious like havin' a daughter! How am Ah supposed to trust ya, Remy? Y'keepin' secrets from meh..." He could tell she was ready to cry, but he still couldn't bring himself to look at her. When he didn't speak or make any reaction, she flew away, leaving him to dwell in his thoughts. He wasn't worried about her fit, she would find out the truth soon enough.

...

"You're quite aways up," said Logan. He was sitting on the roof of the mansion, not far below where she was hovering.

She exhaled, "What are you doing here, Logan? You don't like talking."

He grunted, "Today I feel like pouring my heart out."

"Need to have a heart in my first place."

"Sharp."

"You taught me sarcasm yourself. I ask again, what are you doing here?"

"Need some answers. Gumbo isn't the only one who gets to play interrogation boy."

"Ask away."

"Why are you here?"

"I already told you-"

"I mean, why didn't the Cajun or even me come back? Why you?"

She was silent, taking another drag, "I don't know. I asked them, they didn't tell me, didn't explain. They were in too much of a hurry."

"Sounds convenient, no real explanation."

"You know I'm not lying."

He grunted again. She knew she had him, "No, you're not. That don't mean I trust you."

"Of course not. At least, not until I prove to you I'm worthy of it," she flew away after that. It killed her to know he was treating her this way, he was always so nice, so caring. This wasn't the Logan who raised her, and if she didn't accept that, she could never move forward. This mission would have been easier if the two men she cared about weren't here.

The day was wearing on, and she didn't know what to do with herself. This concept of not running for her life hadn't sunk in, and she found it hard to adjust. What good was this freedom if she couldn't share it with the ones she loved? She wished there was more time to explain to her why she was the one to have to come back. All her life, she never had any of her questions answered, was just taught to fight, was told she was important. Was this what they all meant?

...

_She wakes up in the night, screaming. She is a small child, just learning to sleep in her own bed. But tonight she has a bad dream, and she can't get back to sleep. She hears the door open, the familiar smell of musk and cigarettes filling her nostrils. She feels a protective arm come around her, feeling secure in his embrace._

_"What's wrong, petite?" her father asks her._

_"I.. had a scary dream," she tells him in a small voice._

_"It just a dream. It won' hurt ye."_

_"Do you promise?"_

_He kisses the top of her head, "Promise, belle."_

_"Can I sleep with you tonight?"_

_"Not tonight, kid," she hears the voice of her uncle._

_"But-"_

_"Shh, petite. You be fine, I make sure o' it."_

_"Okay..."_

_"Sleep kid. We ain't leavin' nowhere."_

_She smiles, and lays back down in her bed. It doesn't take her long to sleep, she knows the watchful eyes of loved ones are upon her. He strokes her hair, and watches her peaceful face. He looks to the other man, knowing that soon they could no longer stay where they were. They know the attack can happen at any moment, and they have to be ready, for her sake._

_..._

Gambit hadn't moved from his spot leaning against his bike. He had probably smoke at least a pack of cigarettes already, but he didn't care at this point. He knew that if he moved, he would have to face reality. It wasn't like something like this just happened everyday, but he knew that he was being a little ridiculous, taking this much time. The sun had gone down, but wasn't completely set. The sky was orange and pink, indicating it would be nightfall soon.

"Remy," he heard his name. He smiled slightly, knowing that she would be back, "Remy Ah... Ah just want to apologize... Ah didn't know she was from the future."

"S'alright _chere, _Remy know you can never stay mad at 'im," he replied.

"This must be twistin' yer head. Are you alright?"

"Fine, Rogue. Jus' fine."

"Have ye talked to her?"

"_Non. _Don' know what I'd say."

"Ah've never seen ye so unsure of yerself. Is there anythin' Ah can do to help ya?"

"Not dis time, _chere. _We figure it out, and I let y'know den what you can do," he raised an eyebrow suggestively. She smacked him lightly on the arm, smiling.

"At least your gettin' back to normal."

"Love does strange t'ings t'me,_ cherie._"

"Stop joking Gambit, Ah'm really worried about ye."

"Who say it a joke?"

She laughed, nudging him affectionately. He knew better than to think she was giving in, especially since she was completely covered, "What are ye gunna do?"

"She be here a while. Can' avoid her foever."

"Ah wouldn't even know what to say."

"Words come out, _chere._ De two of us can put it all together."

"An' y'don' know who the motha is?"

"_Non. _But when I find out, you be de first t'know."

She placed a gloved hand in his own and squeezed it. He was used to small affections like this, and this was why he was confused a lot of the time. He didn't even want to think about the mother being anyone other than this woman beside him. For some reason, finding out that Rogue wasn't the mother of his child felt like it would completely destroy him. He had pictured being with other women like the life style he had accustomed himself to, but never loving another. He didn't want anyone else, that much he knew.

There was no easy way to do this, no way to get out of it. He had a responsibility, and he wasn't going to run away this time. At least he had Rogue to help him if needed. He was happy that she had calmed down and was ready to be the woman he loved. He couldn't really ask anymore of her, not at this moment. He was enjoying the moment he had with her, it seemed like he didn't get them much anymore. Now, with this issue, this truth, there probably wouldn't be very many. No, she didn't need to be doted on like a small child, but she would need some guidance, if she would accept it.

He looked over to see Soleanna had landed from the air not far from where the two of them stood. He eyes were downcast, but he knew that she had come to speak to him. If she lost interest in her feet, it might be easier to figure out what she wanted to say. She finally looked up, straight into his eyes.

"Oh ma gawd..." Rogue trailed. The eyes, they completely gave the girl away. She watched the young mutants expression change into complete hate as the familiar eyes came upon her. Rogue was taken back by the look, confused as to why this young girl would look at her this way.

"You..." Sole trailed. She couldn't believe that the woman she hated most in this and any world was standing right beside her father. She had only come to speak with him, try to figure out what they could do to. Sole wasn't a fan of how he had left, and she wanted to make amends, memories or not. But how was she expected to do this with that woman hanging off his shoulder. Blood boiling, she used her speed and hit the woman as hard as she could in the face.

Gambit's eyes widened, wondering why this girl would attack Rogue so quickly, "Why you do that, _petite_?"

"What the hell?!" Rogue exclaimed, rising to her feet but standing her ground.

"You! You left us to die!" Sole screamed, too overcome with rage to focus properly. She felt her father's hand on her arm, and used that to keep herself from moving, for fear she would kill this woman.

"What are ye talkin' about?"

"We needed you, and you left to save yourself. You didn't even look back once! You fucking bitch I swear I'll kill you!"

"What is going on down here?" asked Xavier.

"I'll kill her!" Sole screamed, wishing the hold her father had on her wasn't there. She felt him squeeze harder, knowing he would attack if she made the wrong move.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

Sole held back her tears. She was shaking, her eyes still on Rogue, "I-"

"You can't kill her, Soleanna. If you do, you'll cease to exist."


	4. Stubborn

Hello, it seems that you guys are really taking to this. Thanks so much for the reviews! it's what keeps me going. Welcome to yet another chapter.

...

"If you kill her, you'll cease to exist," said Professor Xavier. The girl had found out what he had suspected since her arrival. He knew that she left her mother out of the equation for a reason. This was not what he was expecting, but if she wanted to return home, killing Rogue was not the way to do it.

"I don't care! Without her, half the misery would be gone!" she screamed. Her parents stared, not knowing what to do. Gambit kept his grip on the girl, feeling that it was the only thing keeping her in place. Even if he wasn't the father she remembered, she still respected him.

"But how would your father feel?"

Sole growled, shaking with rage. Xavier knew already how much her father meant to her, "He wouldn't even know I existed."

"True, but perhaps he never would escape the labs. You alter that."

"Maybe he won't get captured."

"Is that a risk you're willing to take? If it is, you become selfish and this whole ruse to save your family becomes invalid."

"It's not a ruse!"

"Then calm your rage, child. While you remain here, there will be no killing of anyone. Understood?"

Sole was completely blinded by her rage. She couldn't do that for the sake of her vengeance, it was unfair to her father. Using another power, she flew into the air and away from the scene. Her destination was unclear, but Xavier knew she wouldn't leave the grounds.

"She walk t'rough walls?" asked Gambit.

"I believe her mutant powers have a lot to do with Rogue's," the Professor explained.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Rogue.

"Your ability to absorb mutant powers through touch may be why she had more than one mutant ability. We know she has the gift of speed, flight, telepathy, super strength, and phasing through solid matter. Flight and super strength are two abilities taht you carry, the other three can be credited to Jean or Emma, Shadowcat, and Quicksilver. Three mutants you have absorbed at some point in your life."

"Ah don't understand why that involves me?"

"You are her mother, Rogue."

Her eyes widened at those words. She was the mother of this child, this child that was so willing to have her blood. Her and Remy... they had a child together somehow. But what could she have done to cause so much hate? She would never dream of hurting a child, hell, she wasn't even sure she could have children.

"Ah..."

"The girl may have more abilities she doesn't know about. She appears to have control of what she is aware of. She's very fragile right now, especially with the way she grew up. Gambit, try to see if she will open up, she needs someone she can trust. Rogue, it's in the best interest that you stay away from her for now. Wait until the girl is ready to approach you."

"Why does she hate meh...?"

"Don' worry, _chere_, Gambit find out."

The Professor nodded, leaving the two of them to figure it out. Rogue hadn't moved from her spot since she had learned the truth. Remy knew this affected her in a whole different way than it did himself. They were in this together now. He walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. Her emerald eyes were full of tears, and it made his hear ache.

"Ah'm... her momma... and she hates meh..." Rogue was so broken by this news. She had dreamed of having children with Remy, of a happy life with him. But this girl's hatred and rage just meant that it didn't happen that way. What had caused this?

"She confused, Rogue. From what I hear, de future be messed up," said Gambit soothingly.

"Ah would neva do anything to hurt her, Gambit. Ya gotta believe meh."

He pulled her into a hug, "I know, _chere. _She our daughter, Rogue. Gambit find out why she so upset. We help her. T'gether."

"But how? She won't come near meh..."

"She will, when she understand who y'are."

"Remy Ah... Ah don' know what to do..."

"Sleep, _chere. _Dere be not'in' else y'can do tonight."

He stroked her hair lightly, wiping a tear away with his gloved hand. She wiped her tears away herself, taking off into the air. He knew that she was going to her room to sort this out. He watched her go, pulling out his cigarettes and lighting one. This knowledge made everything change, a whole new game. He wasn't sure how to talk to this girl. She knew him, he knew nothing of her. In that sense, he couldn't even imagine how the girl was feeling. From her words, he had raised her to be who she is now, and then here he was, the person she loved most and he didn't know her. It would be hard on anyone.

"It not polite to eavesdrop, _petite,_" he told the young mutant girl.

"Should have known you'd sense me," Sole said, stepping out of the shadows, her own cigarette burning. He turned to face her, surprised to see her smoking.

"Don' t'ink I raise you t'be smokin'"

"You didn't raise me at all."

For some reason, that stung him to hear those words, "Maybe not, _petite, _but Gambit know he won' like any o' his kids smokin'"

"I know. My father doesn't know I smoke, it's the only thing I hide from him."

"I remember dis when y'born."

"If I'm born," she said.

"If it meant to happen, it will, _petite._"

"You don't want it to. That woman will only cause you misery."

"Dat woman be yo' _mere. _Show respect."

"No."

Gambit sighed. Her mother was showing out in full with this attitude and stubbornness. He took another drag, trying to figure out how this was going to work. It meant a lot to Rogue to have a daughter, and it meant more to have the daughter like her. All of the sudden he was dumped with a family, a very broken one. Both parties turned to him to fix everything. If only he knew what happened to cause so much pain in the first place. What happened to Rogue? Why did she leave? She would never do that, he knew it in his heart. The answer was locked way with this girl.

"Why you hate her?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"_Oui, petite. _Y'can' keep t'ings dat hurt inside."

"My father knows everything."

"Den tell 'im again."

"I would, if he was here."

Her words hurt, going straight to his heart, "Gambit here, Sole. Y'can' get rid o'me."

She went rigid for just a minute, before throwing her smoke away and taking off into the air. Gambit watched her go, wondering who taught her to be so cold. He just couldn't believe that he could ever hate Rogue, ever drive his daughter to this hate. It would take time, this was only her first day here. Throwing his own smoke away, he started the engine on his bike and took off into the night.

...

_"Momma!" the small child cries in happiness. She had successfully split her toy in two. The proud mother smiles and picks up her child, holds her close. The child coos lightly, a smile on her face. She is learning to speak, her first words taken in happily. The mother smiles, the child grabbing the new hands that appear. He places a kiss on the cheek of his child, and hugs his family. _

_"It be her bed time, cherie," he speaks soothingly in her ears._

_"Ah know, Ah just..." she cannot speak the words. There is pride in her eyes as she looks at her child._

_"She need her sleep, amour. She be dere when y'wake 'er up."_

_"Yer right."_

_He kisses her, and takes his child. Together they walk to her bedroom, preparing their child for the night. She is placed in her crib, the gentle and warm hands of her father leaving her. Her eyes look to her father sadly. He smiles down at her, wrapping an arm around the mother. The happy couple stare down at their child, her little fingers gripping her fathers. _

_"She learned a new word today," she speaks softly, "Ya think she understands us?"_

_"Non. Not entirely. She still learnin'."_

_"Ah don't want her to go through all that pain Remy..."_

_"We can' see de future. It might all be fine."_

_"Ah don' know... Ah got a bad feelin'."_

_"Mettre les au repos, chere. She be fine, I make sure o'dat."_

_"Ah know ye will. Ah just..."_

_"Shh. Dere be not'in to worry about, Rogue."_

_"Ah sure hope yer raght. Ah just love her so much."_

_"Que dois-je. Je t'aime a, chere. Nevo' forget it."_

_"Ah won't." The two of them share a kiss..._

_..._

Sole shot up straight in her bed. Her breathing was hard, and she was sweating. It wasn't a bad dream, but it was still something she wasn't expecting. The little sleep she was used to getting, it always brought her nightmare's of the past, of when all the chaos started. But here, this was one of the very few good memories of her mother. She didn't even know she remembered this at all. Her brain was descending into the darkest parts of her mind. She had tried years ago to build a psychic wall around them. It obviously didn't work, but she was too tired to deal with it.

It didn't matter how good her mother was to her in the past, it didn't make up for royally screwing them later on in life. The woman was just full of lies, she never really cared. In the end, when it really mattered, she only cared about herself. Actions spoke louder than words, that was the way Sole thought, and her mother had only showed her exactly what she didn't want to believe, what she had come to accept. There were only two people in this world she could trust, and she wished they were with her at this moment.

Soleanna hated everything about her mother, hated her middle name even. If there was a way to live without the pain that woman caused her and her father, she would figure it out. One thing was for sure, she was NOT going to let that woman get anywhere near her father. He may not have the memories she does, but just having him around made her feel better, knowing that the familiar face and eyes were there helped her a lot. She was sure that if she gave it a chance, it could almost feel like home.

She ran a hand through her long hair, her bangs flopping back over her forehead. She picked up the silver box, playing with it again. He told her than all the answers she needed were inside, but she could never figure out how to open it. Besides, if she ever did, what if she didn't like what was inside. She fiddled with the locks, not really trying to get it open. He had taught her how to pick locks, but she had never encountered something like this before. Besides, once she developed her ability to walk through walls, she didn't need to bother with it.

Sighing, she placed the box back on her night stand and laid back in her bed. She looked out the open window, noticing that the sun was rising. There was no way she could get back to sleep. She wasn't used to a lot of sleep in the first place, might as well watch the sunrise. It wasn't something she saw everyday anyway. Fishing for her cigarettes, she opened the window and flew to the roof.

The sunrise was gorgeous. The beauty of it calmed her, she had never seen its equal. The colours, they were vibrant, much better than the darkness and grey of her own world. She wished she had the will to smile, but it was hard knowing that woman wasn't far from her. There would be no way to completely avoid her. The Professor probably wanted them all to get along, be a family while she was here. But it wasn't happening. She didn't need anymore dealings with that woman, no matter how hard they tried.

The sun was rising higher, the sky becoming more blue. There were clouds, something she hadn't seen before either. Too bad they were too high for her to go near. It was too cold and too thin for her to even think about it. Hearing a noise in the distance, she looked in the direction of the source. She saw Gambit riding back in from who knew where. She kept her gaze on him, watching, observing. There really wasn't a difference between him and the man she knew. If he remembered her, she wouldn't be so cold and distant with him. He parked his bike and took off his helmet, his eyes going straight to her. She smirked slightly. Definitely her father...

...

sorry this chaps short, just wanted to stick to a main point. i'll get more into rogue next chapter, promise. thanks for reading!


	5. New Day

hey there, thanks for joining me once again. i hope this is going good for you and that you enjoy it, you guys are awesome!

...

Rogue's eyes were sandy and blood shot. She didn't sleep, she was emotionally exhausted. She'd spent most the night crying, knowing that she had been a horrible mother. It made her heart heavy to have this knowledge. She could never imagine a situation where she would pick herself over her own family. It just wasn't right, didn't make any sense. She cared deeply for Remy, would never make the mistake of leaving him to die a second time. She was lucky that he had forgiven her after that. Their relationship was rocky, always ups and downs, but she knew underneath it all, they loved each other.

It was her own fault she couldn't get close to him. Her powers, they made her afraid to hurt anyone, made it impossible for her to get close. But somehow, she was able to control them, able to touch enough to produce a child. How far into the future was that? When would she get that chance? But if her relationship was doomed to fail, if the result was her child hating her, was it all really worth it? Or perhaps with this knowledge she could do things differently? She wiped away another tear. It was all so hard to figure out, to know what could have gone wrong.

She had to talk to the girl, to try and make her see that she wasn't a bad person. She could never live with herself knowing that this was going on. She had to get answers, had to figure it all out. The only way to do that was by going straight to the source. She threw the covers off and went straight to the bathroom. If she had to face the world, she wasn't going to do it with her face a mess.

...

Sole thought it would be a good idea to test the danger room. She had the normal amount of sleep for her, there was no need to try for anymore nightmares. This danger room thing though, it reminded her of home. She was supposed to have someone supervise, but she knew she could handle herself. These illusions and machines were nothing compared to what she was used to facing. It didn't matter the level, she would be perfectly fine.

She was truly amazed at the technology used to produce these images. She didn't recognize anything, she could only assume that a lot of these figures were other mutants. There were few that looked familiar, but she was too distracted to put the memories there. Fighting seemed to be the only thing that calmed her, gave her a sense of normality. She knew her father wouldn't have wanted this, but that was what she was here to stop.

Even if she was successful, she would have all her memories, they wouldn't. The future would be altered, but she would still be the same. She would never change, she would be used to the life she was born into. Her family would have warm memories, memories of things she never experienced with them. Her whole world would disappear under her feet, she would be completely unaffected by the change in the future. It was a death sentence, one that she was all but willing to take. There was no point in stopping now, knowing that her family was back in that cruel world.

That thought distracted her, she was hit. She felt a searing pain the back of her head. Narrowing her eyes, she looked to the attacker. Rubbing her head, she destroyed the robot image, hoping that everything here wasn't too expensive to replace. It wasn't like she could pay for anything. Taking a final breath, the illusions disappeared and she was left to the cold steal of the room. Running a hand through her hair, she tried to calm down her breathing and heart rate. She barely felt the pain in her head anymore, the adrenaline of her work out nearly gone.

"Not bad for a level ten session," grunted Logan. He stood in full uniform with his arms crossed.

"If you don't care or like me, why were you watching me?" she turned to face him.

"Know your enemy. If I supposedly taught you anything, that would have been my first lesson."

"Actually, your first lesson was a good way to give my dad a heart attack."

"Close enough."

"You've been around my whole life, Logan. I can prove these things to you if you want."

"Don't need some wacko pokin' around in my head."

"That's a relief. Wouldn't want to go insane anyway," she smirked at him, before leaving the room. Wolverine didn't move. He was confused by this girl, and was planning on keeping a good eye on her.

Sole didn't even get three feet away from the door before she was bombarded by two young girls. One of them she recognized from yesterday, standing beside the Professor when she arrived. The girl next to her was someone she hadn't seen yet, but she supposed she would see a lot of new faces. The two girls were smiling at her, and Sole wasn't really sure what to think.

"Soleanna?" questioned the Asian girl. Sole nodded, knowing that the girl didn't need to ask about her. She was the only one in the mansion who she probably hadn't seen, especially since the other girl had already seen her, "I'm Jubilee and this is Kitty."

"Hi," said the brunette brightly. Sole nodded at her too.

"The Professor said we should find you," said Jubilee. They were silent, Sole waiting for them to further explain.

"He wanted us to show you around town and discuss teaching," said Kitty. The two girls seemed nervous, and Sole didn't understand why.

"Okay..." she said, expecting more. They looked at each other, then back to the mutant girl.

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Great!" said Jubilee smiling. They turned and walked away, Sole following them hesitantly.

...

Rogue had finally come out of her room by lunch time. She walked the halls of the mansion cautiously, her heart rate elevated at the possibility of seeing her daughter. She walked towards the kitchen to get a snack, not really wanting much. She had felt quite unwell in the stomach since last night's news, and the lack of sleep. When she had finally reached her destination and opened the fridge, the thought of food just sickened her. Sighing, she closed the fridge and looked outside. Maybe some fresh air would help.

Her ambition to find her daughter completely diminished when she left her room. She was afraid. The girl hated her, didn't want anything to do with her. She held the answer, the key to the control of her powers, yet Rogue didn't want to know. If controlling her powers meant she was going to be this woman that her own daughter hated, then fuck it. Why would she want to be that monster?

"You up early, _non_?" asked Gambit.

"Remy," she was startled, "Ah... couldn't sleep."

He was leaning against the garage, his bike parked in front of him. He hadn't moved since he saw his daughter sitting on the roof and watching him, "Me neit'er."

"Were ya out here all night?"

"_Non._ Took a ride after y'left."

"Oh... So you... Didn't talk to her?"

He lit a smoke, inhaling deeply, "She come, but we disagree too much. She stubborn."

"Like you," Rogue half smiled.

"Gambit was t'inking more like her _mere._"_  
_

"Quiet Cajun, ya might hurt yerself."

"Dere's de woman I know."

"You're right. Ah just... Ah'm scared."

"Dere be not'in' to be afraid of, _chere._"

"But Ah-"

"Not'in'," he repeated adamantly. She looked down at her feet. He didn't understand, he never would. She knew she was capable of causing pain, where was she before the X-men was proof of that. But she had changed her ways, she was sure she had. Yet, her own daughter hated her. Did her father hate her to? If only she knew what happened.

"Ah just don't understand what Ah could have done to hurt her..."

"She our daughter, Rogue. When she ready, she tell us."

"Maybe... She'll tell you at least."

"And den I run straight to you, _chere._"

She smiled, looking up into his demon eyes, "If we... If she's our daughter then... that means you... Ah... my powers..."

"It mean dat you give in," he raised his eyebrow suggestively at her, a smile on his face. She looked at him in anger.

"Ah can't believe ye!"

"_Quoi?_"

"Ah'm here tryin' tell ye how this upsets meh and yer tryin' to get me in bed?!"

"It happen sooner or later, _chere. _De girl be proof o'dat."

"You sick bastard! It can' happen!" she cried, flying away. Gambit watched her go. At least she would be back to normal, no more worrying about things she wouldn't be able to control. But where did that leave him? The girl was still around, still holding hate inside of her heart. He hated that he felt responsible for it. What happened to cause all of this? He had to speak to his daughter, but she wouldn't tell him anything. How do you get someone you don't know, who your supposed to have raised, tell a complete stranger everything about them. He's supposed to already know everything about her, and yet, here he stood.

...

Soleanna had never seen so much life around her. She had landed in the city in the first place, had taken a look around, but the consumerism was somethings he definitely wasn't used to. These two seemingly normal mutant girls were so accustomed to this, they were lucky. She had never been around others close to her age before, so she didn't really know what to say. She knew that her silence was making the girls nervous, or the fact that she never smiled. Sole never had a reason to smile in her whole life, at least, not after the fighting started.

But this wasn't so bad. The other girls had a lot to talk about, mostly sticking to gossip and rumours around the mansion. Sole didn't know half the mutants she was talking about, so it was hard for her to even think about joining the conversation. She did listen though, knowing that she would eventually run into those mutants.

The girls took her into many clothing stores and what not. Sole didn't even know what to think, but they insisted she find things for herself. She was grateful, knowing she needed these things. She tried not to accumulate too much, but boy were these girls pushy. They seemed to be weary of her, but she was polite and answered their questions as easily and without any hateful tones. From what she could tell, these two didn't know anything about her mother, which would make these things easier. They also were either told or smart enough not to ask about her life, and for that she would be eternally happy.

"So, Gambit's really your dad?" asked Jubilee when they were back in the car.

"Yeah," she said simply, looking out the window.

"That's so cool!" declared Kitty excitedly.

"He's always been good to me," Sole agreed.

"I always wondered if him and Rogue would get together..."

Sole kept her face emotionless. Maybe she gave them a little too much credit. If they had already noticed something between her parents, it meant that she had to stop it, and fast.

"Those two? Definitely."

Sole didn't want to hear about this. It appeared the two of them ran out of things to talk about and they moved onto her parents. This confirmed that they didn't know about her mother. At least that was a relief. She could easily shut them out if it started to bother her, she had done it many nights when the screaming and the sounds of war. She didn't want to yell and berate these girls for being ignorant. It wasn't their fault, they didn't deserve the full extent of her rage.

The three of them returned to the mansion, they had been gone for a good part of the day. Soleanna had way too many bags, but thank someone she had mutant powers. She used her speed to make the two trips to her room and back. It was definitely satisfying, to have so many things in her own possession. The only permanence in her life was Forge's lab, her father, and her uncle. Sure, she could take these things back home with her, but for some reason, it would't feel the same.

...

She sat on her regular perch on the roof, having her night time cigarette. The air was warm, and the moon full. She had never seen the moon before, nor the stars that occupied the sky. It was beautiful, she couldn't remember such a wonderful sight. It calmed her, made her feel like everything she'd been through didn't matter, didn't define who she was. It was... inner peace. She had never felt a sensation like this before, it made her want to cry. But she couldn't cry, not a chance. Crying would only prove how weak she was, and she couldn't have that. If she wanted to complete this mission, she had to stay strong, it's what her father wanted.

But that's all she wanted to do. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to just say fuck it all and live a normal life. But she couldn't. Too many people were depending on her. She had to complete her mission, and she had to do it soon. The more she stayed here, the more she was afraid of losing that focus. She shed one tear, just one, and wiped it away quickly. If only her father were here, she would be able to talk to him, to ask him why her? She should have listened every time the adults talked. She always suspected they were talking about her.

"You're Zoleanna, ya?" she heard a German's accent beside her. She looked and saw the other blue member of the team.

"Who told you I was here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ze Professor. He vaz vorried about you."

Her eyes relaxed a little, smiling slightly, "I'm fine."

He nodded, joining her stare of the moon, "Zey say zat you're Rogue and Gambit's daughter."

She exhaled heavily, "Yeah."

"Zen zat means I am your uncle."

She looked over at him confused, "What?"

"I am Rogue's brother."

She was speechless. She didn't suspect that this creature had any reason to lie to her. This was obviously why he had come up. She looked at him disbelieving, but his eyes were full of love. It through her off guard, especially when he pulled her into a hug, "Uncle..."

"I am truly sorry for all ze suffering you have been through. I only wish you can learn to forgive," he let her go, keeping his gaze on her.

"F-forgive?"

"Your mother."

Her eyes became clouded in hate, "No. I can't forgive her."

"Ven I vaz little, my mother turned her back on me to, she deserted me, because I look ze way I do. I forgave her."

"She left you when you needed her the most, left you to die. How can you forgive someone like that?"

"Living with ze hate does not help us. Rogue is a good person, she would never hurt anyone she loves."

"Then she clearly didn't love me or dad, or else she wouldn't have left."

"You're wrong."

"I don't want to talk about this. You weren't there, you don't know."

"Perhaps not, but you can at least try."

"Please just... drop it."

"As you wish," he said sadly, "Vhy didn't you know me?"

"I don't know. Either you disappeared, was captured, or died before I was born or sometime before I had consciousness in my head. I don't remember you around, and no one talked about you. I can only assume the worst, probably too hard to bring up if it was that bad."

"I understand. It can be hard to zink about ze sadness."

"It's my life, it always has been," she said weakly.

"Are you alright?"

"My heads hurting. It's been happening for at least a week. It'll go away," a wave hit her and she screamed.

"Maybe you should see ze Professor."

"I'm fine, I just-" She screamed so loud her voice echoed along the grounds. Soleanna's head exploded with unbearable pain.

...

sorry for another short one guys, i just want things to stick to a specific point for now. thanks for the lovely reviews and to those who read. see you next time!


	6. Infirmary

Soleanna was brought immediately to the infirmary. She had passed out from the pain, the cause of it still unknown. Professor Xavier was already there as well as Jean and Beast. Between the three of them, they could hopefully figure out what was wrong. It wasn't going to be easy, she just collapsed for no reason. All she indicated was a massive pain in her head, and that it had been happening for at least a week.

There wasn't much to go on with her symptoms, but they could at least try to diagnose why she was having this problem. With the way that she just collapsed it indicated that she had no warning about it, and that her pain was much to intense. It gave them a slight clue as to some of her mutant abilities, but not enough to satisfy the Professor. He had a theory about it, a possible explanation, but he couldn't prove it until the girl was ready to open up and let him in. Her mind was completely closed off, probably a natural defense mechanism from growing up the way she did.

Either way, there was nothing he could do about it at the present moment. She was stable, and her E.E.G didn't show anything wrong with her brainwaves. If she was still feeling pain, then it wasn't sending the right message to her brain. So why was she passed out? They had to run some more tests to be sure, thankfully, they weren't harmless ones.

Nightcrawler had taken it upon himself to find at least one of her parents. He knew the best bet would be Gambit, but it he could find Rogue, she would lead to Gambit. He started with her room, knocking softly. He could see from the bottom of the door that her television was still on. When she didn't get an answer, he knocked harder. He saw the shadow of her feet before she opened the door.

"Kurt, what are y-"

"I need to vind Gambit," he told her urgently.

"Ah don't know where that swamp rat is," she said venomously, Is everything alright, sugah?"

"Zoleanna iz zick," he said before teleporting out of there.

...

"She's stable, shouldn't be feeling anymore pain. At least, not physically," Jean told the Professor. He nodded, looking over at the unconscious girl.

"Have you tried contacting her telepathically?" asked Xavier.

"No, I haven't had the time to. I can start myself you want?"

"That's alright. I'll let her rest for a moment."

"Do you know what's wrong?" asked Beast.

"No, but I do have a theory. Do you know when she'll be awake?"

"Anytime she's ready."

"Alright. I would prefer to wait until she is conscious and have her permission before going into her mind."

"You think you'll find out what's wrong?"

"I can only hope."

Gambit came into her room right after that, closely followed by Nightcrawler and Rogue. The demon eyed mutant walked up to his daughter, looking at the unconscious form. She looked serene, like a child in a peaceful sleep. It was a step up from her constant annoyed or serious expression. With her eyes closed, the features of her mother stood out much more. He smiled slightly, still having a hard time believing that this was his daughter. He didn't know what to do. Should he hold her hand? He didn't have an answer, but he decided to go with his instinct. He barely touched her forehead with his fingers, trailing them gently along her face.

"What happen?" he asked, looking down at the Professor.

"We don't know. She had pain in her head, passed out, and Nightcrawler brought her here. We'll know more when I can make contact with her."

"Is she alright?" asked Rogue.

"Physically, she's fine. I cannot give you a mental status."

"She goin' t'wake up?" asked Gambit.

"Of course," answered Beast.

"Why dis happen?"

"I believe the pain is caused by another mutant power coming to the surface," said Xavier.

"How many can she possibly develop?" asked Jean.

"That's the problem, it's hard to tell. With the amount of psyche inside of Rogue's mind, and the original mutant ability to absorb, she could develop the powers at any time. It is unknown how many powers she will develop. If there is too many, the girl could die."

"_Merde..._" Gambit didn't need to hear that so far his only daughter would die if she developed more mutant powers, "Dere any'tin' you can do?"

"I can try to help her through this. I suspect her father, you, sent her back her because he knew this was going to happen. He obviously knew her distaste for her mother, and told her to find me," he looked up at Gambit, "With my fate undetermined, I can only assume that I was not around for you to enlist my help in the first place. You and Logan sent her back here for me to work with her before she ultimately dies."

"Ah thought she was back to save her future?" asked Rogue.

"I don't think the future was their main concern."

"Dis ever happen t'her before?"

"I doubt it. From her description, this appears to have just started. Remy and Logan have been around this child her whole life, never left her. They would know about her crashing, and know that they need help. They must have more information, but I suspect that they sent her back to deal with this before she could save her future, in the off chance that I am unavailable when she returns home."

"But why wouldn't you be there?" asked Beast.

"I don't know. Anything could happen."

"Why dis never happen' before?"

"This world isn't full of war and chaos. Without the distraction of a constant fight and fear for her life, it gave her body and brain more room to develop her powers. At least, that's the only thing I can think of."

The room was silent at his words. Gambit's eyes went to his daughter, trying to think of what she was going through. He felt her hand in his own, wondering how it had gotten there. She squeezed it slightly, opening her eyes. It took her a moment to focus, and then she looked straight into his eyes. He looked relieved, and was smiling slightly. She looked confused, but happy that he was here.

"_Pere_?" she said weakly.

His eyes filled with wonder at that word. It filled him with pride, gave him something to really think about, "Yeah, _petite..._"

"What... what happened?" she asked more sure of herself.

"You passed out. Are you feeling any pain?" asked the Professor.

"No, I feel fine."

"Good. Initially you've recovered."

"How long was I out?"

"Just a couple of hours. What were you doing on the roof?"

"Smoking. Didn't want to do it in the mansion."

"Professor," Jean interrupted, "I didn't detect any signs of smoking."

"How long have you been smoking?" asked Xavier.

"About three years or so," she answered.

"An' you hide it from me dis long, _petite_?" asked Gambit, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not that observant when you sleep. The ability to fly makes it easier for me to use those thieving skills you taught me."

"If you don't mind, Soleanna, I would like to take a look inside your mind."

"Why?"

"I am curious as to the nature of your mutant powers."

"Is it completely necessary?"

Xavier sighed, "No, not at the moment."

"If it important, y'should do it, _petite," _Gambit told her, his hand squeezing hers slightly.

"I'd rather not. Just... not now," said Sole, looking down.

"That's perfectly alright. When you're ready, just let me know," said the Professor, leaving the room. Jean and Beast left as well, seeing as the patient was cleared. Rogue, Gambit and Nightcrawler stayed where they were. Sole kept her eyes down, but her hand in her fathers. She didn't know what was happening, why she had passed out like that. Waking up to having her father stand over her bed, that was comforting and completely unexpected. He barely knew her, just met her, and yet, here he was, caring for her as if he'd been there her whole life.

"Ah'm relieved your alright," said Rogue.

Her eyes looked up in hate, "What are you doing here?"

"Ah was worried about ye-"

"Why?"

"'Cause, Ah'm yer momma."

"No, your not."

"Hold on, _petite._ She care about you," Gambit spoke up.

"Stop defending her."

"_Non, _not 'till y'understand-"

"Understand that she is only going to leave when it comes down to her life or ours. She is going to put you through nothing but pain."

"No, that's not raght-" Rogue began.

"Get out of here!"

"Zoleanna, Rogue is your mother. Even if she caused you pain in the past, you should forgive her," said Kurt.

"No. If it were up to me, I would kill her and stop her from every harming anyone I love."

Rogue was instant tears at those words, "Ah would neva do anythin' to hurt you..." she said, her voice cracking and low.

"You can believe that all you want. I know what happens."

"Den tell us, _petite. _Tell us what happen and we stop it," said Gambit.

"Hate to break up this family reunion, but Chuck wants Rogue and Nightcrawler up in the war room," said Wolverine, walking into the room. Sole rolled her eyes, but was happy that Rogue wasn't going to be in her room anymore. She could pretend she cared all she wanted, that didn't mean she could fool Sole. Rogue wiped her tears and left, Nightcrawler right behind her. Wolverine was still leaning against the door.

"Why you hate 'er?" asked Gambit, looking back at his daughter. Her face was contorted with rage, the heat radiating off her. Gambit narrowed his eyes, looking deeper. It was hard to see, but it looked as if she was in some sort of pain. Whatever happened that caused this hatred, it was a mask. She was hurt by whatever Rogue had done, but she was a fighter, taught never to express sadness. Instead, she turned it into rage, and did the first rational thing her mind told her to do. He squeezed her hand, "Y'don' have t'tell me now, Sole. But soon, Gambit wan' answers."

"You really believe this is your kid?" asked Logan, staring at her suspiciously.

"'Course, can' you see it?"

"I can smell it, Gumbo."

"So what be de problem den, _mon ami_?"

"I don't trust her."

"You don't trust anyone, Logan," Sole spoke.

"Just cause you know that, doesn't mean your tellin' the truth."

"You just admitted that you can smell I'm his kid, and yet here you are not trusting what I say."

"I'm complicated."

"No, you're grasping for answers. You do that a lot."

He growled, "Quick learner."

Gambit smiled at their bantering. The way she was made complete sense if one put Logan into the equation. Between him and Logan, they had influenced her highly. Her sarcasm definitely came from the Canadian man, but at least it was something the Cajun could enjoy, "Maybe dis ain' de best time," said Gambit, smirking.

Soleanna sighed, itching her head. Wolverine would never be the same uncle she was used to. He treated her just like any other invader, and it was hard to deal with. She could handle him, sure, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. She decided that since she was cleared, she would get out of bed and go smoke like she wanted.

"Where you goin', _petite__?"_ asked Gambit, his hand falling out of hers.

"For a smoke. I clearly don't need to be here if all the doctors left," said Sole, finding her clothes and shoes.

"You let your kid smoke?" asked Logan.

"Behin' my back maybe," answered Gambit.

"And do I know about this?"

"No idea. If you do, you don't say anything," said Sole, going to the bathroom to change into clothes.

"Sounds nothin' like me."

"On the contrary, despite what people think, you are not an animal and you do have a heart. Now are you both coming or am I going by myself?"

"Look like she outwit you, _non_?" Gambit smirked at his friend.

"Watch it, Cajun. You might trip and fall," said Wolverine, "You can both kill yourselves without me. I have to go huntin'."

"Hunting for what?" asked Sole.

"Apparently, you brought a friend back here with you. I've taken it upon myself to go find him."

"Alone?" asked Gambit.

"Why, you gunna miss me?"

"Gambit t'ink maybe he go wit' you."

"Me to," said Sole.

"I don't think so," said Wolverine.

"Why not?"

"I don't need to babysit."

"You said yourself that I can handle myself in a level ten danger room session. If it's from my world, I'm best suited to help you with it," said Sole, leading the way out of the room, "Besides, this way, you can still keep an eye on me."

...

sorry this one's short, just wanted to stick to a point.. got a few more x men showing up in the next chapter and the three are off on a mission together, just like old times for Sole.. thanks for reading!


	7. Heading Home

Gambit, Wolverine and Soleanna ended up in the garage. Sole was confused, but wasn't willing to let the two of them leave by themselves. She waited for them, to figure out what the next move was.

"I thought it was found in Japan?" she asked, observing the two men.

"It was, but it decided to use it's powers south. That's where were headed," answered Wolverine.

"So we're going to drive there," Sole thought out loud. Wolverine grunted, getting on his bike. Gambit followed suit, preparing his own.

"You either ride with me or Gumbo, kid," said the shorter man.

"No, I think I'd rather not depend on your skills."

"If you know us so well, how come you can't trust us?"

"In my world, you've had time to learn. This is earlier, I don't know how well you can ride."

He narrowed his eyes, but pointed to another bike. She smiled, hopping on and starting the engine. The garage door opened, and the three of them took off, the sun starting to rise ahead of them, "Hope you can keep up," Logan told the other two, speeding off ahead. Gambit smirked and Sole was not one to be outdone. He made sure to keep an eye on her, as she sped past him and almost caught up completely to Logan. Gambit's smile grew, as he suddenly became in front of the other two. Soleanna wasn't going to bring up the rear. The three of them fought for dominance, all the while listening to Logan's command. All in all, it felt like old times to Sole, and she actually smiled.

...

Professor Xavier sat in the war room, going over all the classified information of the government. He hadn't seen anything related to Soleanna's information. How long before it all happened? Did Gambit and Wolverine make sure he had time to work with her? If he could get to the deepest parts of her mind, it might give him a clue. Perhaps he would even find the reason why she hated her mother so... But she didn't know him, didn't trust him. She would know if he went in uninvited, so his only option was to try and work with her. He didn't even have the faintest idea of how to begin that, but he was sure he would soon figure it out.

"Have you found anything?" asked Cyclops, who was entering the room with Jean.

"No, not yet. There isn't anything here," replied Xavier, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"It can't be too far off if Gambit is still alive," said Jean.

"Perhaps, but we can't be sure. IF we could just get some more information from the girl, we might actually be able to work faster."

"What about Forge?"

"I haven't started looking for him yet."

"If she can connect with him, we might be able to get a better start."

"Perhaps. Have you made any contact with the girl?"

Jean shook her head, "Not really. Briefly our minds touched when we had first met, but she was simply looking to see if we were a threat. I could only sense wonder and curiousity. I knew the girl could sense my power, so she blocked me pretty quick. Her telepathic powers are much more advanced than mine."

"As I feared. See if you can get closer to the girl. Maybe the two of you can connect and she will let you see what has happened."

"I'll try, Professor," said Jean, putting her hands to her head. She was searching for Soleanna, but having no luck. She opened her eyes in shock, "She's gone! Her, Gambit and Wolverine have left."

"Find them. If the girl has an unstable power, she could seriously hurt someone, or herself."

...

Rogue was sitting in her room, her meal on her night stand. She didn't much feel like eating, the hate in her daughter making her feel sick. She wished she could stop crying, her eyes hurt from it. The sun had risen, and she had gone another sleepless night. She wanted to go down there and try to figure things out, but she was afraid. Those hateful eyes, they tore into her soul and filled her with depression. If only there was a way to talk to the girl, have her realize that it just wasn't possible.

Rogue heard a knock on the door and tried to ignore it. She didn't want to talk to anyone, not like this. If she had it her way, she would completely shut herself off from the world and not come out until it all made sense again. But she couldn't do that, she was an X-man, and that meant she had responsibilities. If only there was a way to figure this all out, make it so that it was easy. The knocking on the door got harder, and Rogue sighed.

"Come in, sugah," she called lightly, wiping her eyes and looking out the window.

"We have been summoned," she heard the voice of Storm from the doorway.

"What's goin' on?" asked Rogue, looking at the weather witch.

"Gambit, Wolverine and Soleanna have taken off. The Professor thinks the girl is unstable, we must find them."

"Do Ah have to go?"

"Rogue, you are my friend, and I know that this hurts you. But how will the girl know you if you are not there to help her when she needs it?"

"Ah know you're right, Storm. But Ah just can' believe she hates meh so much."

"Times are tough, she will soon come to see about you what we all do, Rogue. Now come, we will find them."

"Alright. Ah guess Ah shouldn't let the Cajun think he can get away with runnin'."

Storm smiled, "Do not worry, Rogue. It will all come together in time."

The female mutants smiled at one another, before leaving for the war room.

...

The three mutants had traveled far during the day. They stopped for the night at a run down motel, so as not to attract attention. Sole didn't like the looks or smell of this place. She didn't need Wolverine's nose to know that it was completely disgusting. But she had been in these situations before, and she could handle them. It wasn't like she was going to sleep much anyway. Each of them were smoking, but sat in silence. Sole knew that Logan was keeping his eye on her, while her father always seemed disinterested in what was going on.

"How far south do we go?" she asked, keeping her eyes where they were.

"Not sure yet, kid," answered Logan.

"Do you have any way of finding this... thing?"

"The nose."

"Really? How are you going to find something you've never seen before with just your nose? There are billions of scents out there that you haven't smelled before."

"The nose knows."

Sole scoffed, rolling her eyes. She took her final drag and then put her smoke out. Her father was playing with one of his many decks of cards, sitting on a chair with his feet on a desk. The musty smell was being hidden by cigarettes, but that suited them just fine. The television was on the local news, nothing interesting turning up. They were listening, trying to hear something out of the ordinary in the area. There was nothing though, just robberies by teenagers and mutant hate crimes by citizens. Sole wished that people could just learn to understand instead of getting scared. If people would just accept what isn't the norm, none of them would happen, no pain, no living in fear. Her ears perked up at that point.

"Police are still investigating the strange mark left behind in Japan. Authorities have discovered another mark off the coast of San Franscisco, California. These sightings haven't been connected with anything specific, but police suspect mutant activity-" The t.v was turned off at that point.

"I assume that's where we're going?" asked Sole.

"Yep," replied Wolverine, turning to look at the other two.

Gambit showed no signs of getting up, just continued to play with his cards. Sole sighed, rising to her feet as well. She looked at her father who seemed as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Gumbo, didn't you hear? Were leavin'," said Logan, eyes on the Cajun.

"Gambit don' t'ink dat it be dat simple," said Gambit, not even raising his eyes.

"Why not? Don't trust me?"

"_Non,_" he said smirking, "But by de time we get dere, de scent be gone, and we in de same place we are now."

"He has a point. We're pretty far north still," Sole agreed.

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Wolverine.

"Wait for another mark sighting and then anticipate where the next one will show up. Try to head it off at the source."

He grunted, "I hope you two know what you're doin'."

"We head south, but farther from de coast," said Gambit, "Stay central 'till we know which way t'go."

"I don't like it."

"It's the only option we've got. Even with my speed, by the time we get to California, we'd still be too late for you to catch a scent," said Sole, "And I can't search with my mind because I don't know what I'm looking for, nor where to look."

Logan growled, narrowing his eyes, before sitting down again. Sole looked out at the moon. It was going to be a long night.

...

"Why are we here, Professor?" asked Jubilation. She was in the war room with Xavier, Hank, Jean, Scott, Emma, Rogue, Ororo, Kurt, Kitty, and Piotr. They had all been summoned by the Professor into the war room, an urgent matter at hand. Some of them were confused, not knowing what was going on. They had been there for at least ten minutes, waiting for instructions or anything that would indicate why they were called together. He had that look on his face, that thoughtful and unsure look that made them worry when he was silent.

"Gambit, Wolverine, and Soleanna have taken off in search of the life form, possible mutant that came through at the same time she did. The news has three sightings of the same mark, one in Japan, California and Texas. Whatever this is, it's moving, and appears to have a specific agenda. I want four teams, three to investigate these marks and the last to find the others," said the Professor. His eyes stayed in place, still thinking.

"How are we supposed to find them?" asked Scott.

"Emma will remain here with Cerebro and search. Keep your minds open. Dismissed."

"That's it? No more information?"

"Not yet. Until I know more, I cannot be sure of anything," said Xavier, leaving the room.

"That was strange," said Jean, looking worried.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," said Scott, "Alright, Beast, Jubilee and Colossus, go to California and get all the information you can there. Jean and I will go to Japan, Kurt and Kitty, you head over to Texas. Rogue and Storm, begin an air search for the others and join them if necessary. Report back any findings. If you can't handle any danger, pull back, but approach with caution. Do we understand each other?"

The others nodded, getting up and ready to take their positions. Rogue walked with Storm, the girls wanting to get their mission started as fast as possible. She didn't even waste time walking, she flew with the woman down the halls and towards the nearest exit.

"Ah don' understand. Why would they take off like that?" asked Rogue.

"Perhaps they thought to handle these things on their own," suggested Storm, "Logan and Remy have often let without words to anyone."

"But why take the girl?"

"I do not know, but we will find out. That I promise you."

...

The sun rose, and they were headed in a southern direction. The third mark was sighted, and Sole suspected that whatever this was, it was attracting attention. Her father was leading the way, having a suspicion of the next move. She noticed his attitude change from disinterest to sour the further south they went. Sole wondered why he was acting like this, why this all of a sudden became so serious. They had no idea what they were up against, so how could he be so cold already?

By mid afternoon, they had crossed another border, but they weren't on a main road. Sole found that strange, and it was even worse when her father stopped completely. The other two stopped as well, wondering what the hold up was. His look was grim as he gazed at the terrain ahead of him. She watched, trying to figure out what was affecting him so. Her uncle also looked distracted, as if he understood what was wrong with the other man.

"What's wrong?" Sole asked tentatively, her eyes on her father.

"Gambit swear he never come back here, but somet'in' always bring me back..." he trailed, looking down slightly. Sole pulled up beside him, looking curiously.

"Where are we?"

He looked at her sadly, "We home, _petite_."

...

sorry guys, went on a lil vacation before school started. thanks so much for the patience and the lovely reviews. see you next time!


	8. Family

The sun rose, and they were headed in a southern direction. The third mark was sighted, and Sole suspected that whatever this was, it was attracting attention. Her father was leading the way, having a suspicion of the next move. She noticed his attitude change from disinterest to sour the further south they went. Sole wondered why he was acting like this, why this all of a sudden became so serious. They had no idea what they were up against, so how could he be so cold already?

By mid afternoon, they had crossed another border, but they weren't on a main road. Sole found that strange, and it was even worse when her father stopped completely. The other two stopped as well, wondering what the hold up was. His look was grim as he gazed at the terrain ahead of him. She watched, trying to figure out what was affecting him so. Her uncle also looked distracted, as if he understood what was wrong with the other man.

"What's wrong?" Sole asked tentatively, her eyes on her father.

"Gambit swear he never come back here, but somet'in' always bring me back..." he trailed, looking down slightly. Sole pulled up beside him, looking curiously.

"Where are we?"

He looked at her sadly, "We home, _petite_."

She blinked, "Home?" that statement confused her, especially with the way he was looking at her. She had only ever seen him like this once, when her mother left them. Something about this place that he called home, it brought out so much sorrow. Why? What happened here to cause that?

"New Orleans, kid. Where he came from," said Logan, pulling up beside her.

"What makes you think that what were looking for is here? We could avoid coming here if it's..." she didn't even know how to finish that sentence.

"_Non._ Whatever were lookin' for, it be here, _petite,_" Remy spoke, that same look on his face.

"But-"

"It wants us t'see it. We find it here, we take care o'it."

"Yes, _pere,_" her automatic respond came out. It was the tone of his voice, it was commanding and left room for no argument. She was used to it, that's why she spoke those words. He nodded at her, revving his engine and leading the way into the place he hated most. Sole was next, Logan taking up the rear. The other man seemed to know exactly how her father felt, and Sole wished at that point she had made contact with him to know why. In all the years that she's known him, he had never once mentioned where he came from. There were things he wasn't telling her, important things in her mind. It made her sad to know that he didn't trust her.

They continued on their journey, Sole keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. She didn't know what to expect here, but she knew it wouldn't be pretty. Wolverine seemed to be on alert to, but that didn't surprise Sole. They stayed on their bikes until they reached a river. Remy shut off his engine, swinging his leg over the bike and walking towards the water. Sole watched him curiously, the swamp land not agreeing with her too much. Logan stood beside the Cajun, Sole not far behind them.

"What now?" asked Logan, "Want me to fish for a boat?"

"That's not necessary. I can fly us over the river, just point me in the right direction," offered Sole.

"Oui," agreed Remy.

Logan grunted, "I hope there's nothing ready to eat me there."

"For your sake I hope so too. Be too tempting to accidently drop you," Sole smirked, while the two of them took a hold of either arm. Sole took in a breath, lifting the two of them off the air and over the river. It went down quite far, but Sole wasn't going to tire anytime soon. She was mostly curious. Whenever her father used to speak of his home, it sounded much warmer than this. She knew his life was hard, but from this sight, it was worse than she could ever imagine. She finally saw some footing, and landed them smoothly in front of a modest house. Her father sighed, before walking through the front door. Sole stayed outside with Logan, not knowing where her place was. She sat in the air, hovering for a quick getaway if necessary. Logan seemed calm though, standing with his arms crossed.

"So... he grew up here?" Sole asked, unsure of how to break the silence and satisfy her curious nature.

"Yeah, so I hear," replied Logan, obviously not in a mood to talk.

Sole didn't care though, "Why does he hate it so much?"

"Rough life, was used a lot by his family."

"Then why come back to them?"

"If you're his kid, shouldn't you know this?"

She looked down slightly, "He never mentioned anything bad. Every time he talked about this place, it always seemed happy and warm. I never expected it to turn out like this."

He grunted, "Thieves have a way of getting inside information. If anything strange has popped up, they'll know."

"Crazy."

"It's a cruel world, no matter where you come from."

"Too true," Sole agreed, lighting a smoke. She already knew how hard life could be, that's why she was here, to fix it. She kept her eyes and ears open, wondering how long this could take. She wished she was able to help him, figure out a way to make it easy. What was going on in there? She finally saw him come out of the door, and motion for the to join. Sole was confused, but started her flight towards him.l She looked back at Logan when she noticed he wasn't following.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked confused.

"Ain't my place," he replied.

"But-"

"It's your family, kid."

Sole opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. That shocking truth struck her in an instant. He was right, this was her family, people she never had a chance to meet before. She flew to her father, suddenly unsure of herself. He smiled slightly at her, before opening the door and letting her in. She looked around the seemingly warm home, not really knowing what to expect. She waited for her father, who put an arm around her unexpectedly. He led her into the other room, her heart racing. There, she saw a woman smiling warmly at them. Sole rarely smiled, but this woman's look made her smile back.

"Dis be Soleanna, my daughter," Gambit spoke proudly.

"She beautiful, Remy. Nice t'meet y'Soleanna. I'm your _Tante_," the woman spoke happily. Sole's eyes widened. She had heard so much about _Tante_, but never did she think she would have a chance to meet the legend herself. Gambit's hands on either side of her shoulders kept her brain from going into overdrive. They were speaking, but mostly in French. Sole had never been fluent, only bits and pieces she picked up from her father. She stayed quiet, however, recalling everything her parents had ever spoken about this woman.

...

Sole flew to Logan once the visit was over. The sun was setting, which if she heard right, was perfect. She waited for her father to catch up. Knowing that he would go over the plans in pure English, and then she wouldn't have to guess at the situation.

"Any t'ing out dere?" asked Gambit, lighting a smoke.

"I should be askin' you that. What did Gumbo Sr. say?" replied Logan.

"He not dere. We go to de city. Strange t'ings happen lately."

"Fine by me."

They both looked at Sole, meaning that was her cue. She grabbed the two of them, taking off into the air once more.

...

Cyclops and Jean had made it to Japan okay, and the mark left over from the mysterious being was hard to get to. It irked them that this mark wasn't noticeable the last time they had come to investigate. There was nothing that could be done about that now, so they let the matter drop. When they had finally gotten passed all the security to go and examine the mark, it seemed as if there was nothing there.

"What do you think it is?" asked Cyclops, looking over at Jean.

"It's strange, but I have no idea, Scott," she looked at him in thought, "Maybe I can find something with my mind," she thought out loud, putting her hands to her head. Cyclops waited patiently, hoping she didn't end up hurting herself. Finally, she opened her eyes, "There's energy there, it's resonating from this mark!" she cried happily.

"Can you trace it?"

"No, it's much too weak, but Cerebro might have a chance."

"Alright. You contact Emma and the Professor, I'll get a hold of the rest of the team."

...

Soleanna had never seen such beauty before. There was some sort of festival going on, people and mutants, happy together. There was no fear, it was peaceful. She looked on in wonder, while she walked with the men that raised her. They didn't seem as interested as she did, but then, they were probably used to it. She didn't know what or who they were looking for, but trusted their instincts. It was hard to focus on anything but the current events, but she had to block them out. She was taken out of her thoughts after falling to the ground. She had bumped into her uncle, and as most knew, he had really touch bones.

"Somet'ing wrong, _petite_?" she heard her father ask, as he offered her his hand to help her up.

"No, just..." she looked to the streets, at the parade they were walking by.

"I never take you here?"

"No, not that I remember. The world was already dead by the time I started to remember anything."

He smiled sadly, putting a hand on her shoulder. His grin widened then, "Come, we have time."

"Sure, let's go fit in. Not like we have a crisis on our hands or anything," said Logan, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sole didn't have time to react before she was dragged by her father. She had no words, and the sour look on her uncle's face made her feel sort of guilty. But it all went away with the look on her father's face. He seemed genuinely happy to show her these things, things he was making up for that they both missed out on. She was grateful, knowing that the person at the basis of her life still cared, even though they were worlds apart. It made her feel terrible that he felt so guilty. He wasn't a bad father, it wasn't his fault that her world turned out this way. They finally stopped at a little cafe, still scouting for clues at least.

"How come y'never smile, _petite_?" asked Remy, handing her some food. Her head was resting on her hand. Her eyes met his, but she shied away quickly. She couldn't bear his curious gaze. If only he knew what she did.

"There's not much to smile about. At least, not where I come from," she replied, only able to offer him the truth.

"You not dere. Look around, dis be somet'in' t'smile about. Y'can' tell me I'm okay wit' you Wolverine impression, _non_?"

The corners of her mouth twitched, the man in question standing father away from them, "You're pretty well the same, when were not fighting for our lives."

"Must be hard. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better life."

His words struck her to the core...

...

_"You okay belle?" he asks, as they enter their haven. The two of them were sent to acquire supplies, running into trouble. She is unable to fly, the power still locked within her. As a result, she is injured._

_"I'll be fine," she assures him. Her words fall on deaf ears, as her injured leg causes her to fall. He helps her to the ground, tearing away the clothing around the wound to examine it. _

_"I tell dem you not ready," he mutters angrily, the bruising and blood fills him with rage. He begins to clean it, very aware of her flinches, though she does not cry out. She is strong, but not experienced._

_"I have to learn, don't I?"_

_He looks at her sadly. Things had changed to much the past few years, "I miss your smile, petite."_

_"It died when Rogue left."_

_He ignores that, "Dis life be hard. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better one."_

_"It's not your fault, pere," she tells him seriously, the traces of her mothers eyes disappearing as her powers develop. He helps her up, and pulls her into a hug._

_"I promise I make dis better," he whispers, and thinks of the past._

...

"It's not your fault, _pere_," Sole told him, a little choked at the memories.

"What happen? Why you so cold?" he asked, hoping he can help in some way. He couldn't stop the feelings of guilt, the responsibility for not being able to protect her like he should have. Even if she was from the future, he was still her father, and he felt he should have done a better job. This journey showed him a lot about her, about the way he raised her. Her outer attitude was definitely a side effect from growing up either running or fighting. Wolverine's role in it was very obvious.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was unsure of where to start. She knew that he was genuinely concerned, but she didn't want to upset him further by her tale. It would have to come out eventually, why not now? Maybe he would understand, "It all started with-"

"Remy!" called out a strange voice. The three of them looked to the source, a man approaching them, a seemingly fake smile on his face, "I t'ought it be a lie to back," he said. He looked over at Sole, "An' you must be my _belle_ gran daughter."

"Jean-Luc," she identified with wide eyes.

...

sorry for such a delay, thanks for sticking with me. i love you all!


	9. Lune

"Remy!" called out a strange voice. The three of them looked to the source, a man approaching them, a seemingly fake smile on his face, "I t'ought it be a lie to back," he said. He looked over at Sole, "An' you must be my _belle_ gran daughter."

"Jean-Luc," she identified with wide eyes.

"Are you ever gorgeous, and full of power," said Jean-Luc, engulfing Sole in a bone crushing hug. She didn't move, she couldn't. She was in so much shock, her brain had practically shut down. She was torn from the man, her father now standing protectively in front of her. She blinked, moving slightly to see what was going on.

"Why you here?" asked Remy angrily. The smile on the other man's face did not falter.

"I t'ought we have a family reunion, get t'know each o'der again."

"How you know about her?"

"Because he ain't Jean-Luc," Logan stated, standing beside Remy.

"_Mon Dieu... _How you know dat?" asked Jean-Luc. The man's surprise didn't really look all that genuine, and Sole narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"The nose, knows."

"Then you really do have animal instinct. Tell me, little man, are your claws real too, or is that a legend? Are we too far back in time for you to have them?"

Logan growled, glaring dangerously at this strange impostor, "Oh they're real, bub, and I don't suggest stickin' around for a demonstration."

"On the contrary, I came to see exactly what all you X-men were made of," the man smiled maliciously. He began to glow red, lifting his left hand. They were pushed back by an invisible force and hit the building across the street quite hard. People began to scream and panic, clearing the area in fear. Sole got up quickly, narrowing her eyes and taking off into the air. Whatever this thing was, it took the time to find them. That meant it was either very stupid, or very dangerous. She looked down to see the other two ready for action. The enemy was hovering six inches in the air, the wind starting to pick up.

Gambit charged a card, Wolverine lunging after the explosion. Sole used her speed once her uncle was out of the way to appear behind the enemy and lay a thunderous double kick. She wasn't touching the ground, but she wasn't so high up in the air either. She was joined on either side by her uncle and father, the three waiting to figure out the next move. Sole's head was beginning to hurt, but she figured it had to have been from smashing into the wall.

Their enemy was revealed, using the same force to push the bricks off of his own body. He was glowing red still, and floating in the air as if nothing had happened. Finally, they saw him morph into a different shape, indicating that this was a shape shifter. That didn't phase them, however, as they were used to anything out of the ordinary. What was left was an auburn haired, emerald eyed boy not much older than Sole herself. She wasn't sure what to think, but had a strange feeling about this person. Who was he? Why did his appearance strike her so?

He began his attack again, his arms outstretched on either side. Sole didn't even want to give him time. She flew as fast as she could, fists outstretched in front of her. She ended up going straight through the building. The force of her flight was too fast to stop before going through at least three walls, so she used her power to pass right through them. When she was finally able to control herself better, she went back the way she came. When she arrived at the scene, all she saw was brown before she realized her father was tossed at her. She held on, making sure they didn't fall to the ground.

"Thanks _belle_," he complimented her, smiling slightly. They looked down to see Logan struggling with their attacker, "You know anyt'ing about dis?"

"No, nothing," she replied, flying closer to the ground and sending her father feet down first with force, so that he could attack the enemy. He knocked Gambit away, and then teleported behind the mutant to attack. But Sole wasn't going to have any of that, despite the pain in her head and the wind beginning to rage. It was so strong it nearly knocked her off course, and she knew it wasn't her enemy, because he was as confused as she was. She looked to see Gambit and Wolverine holding onto something to keep from flying away. It took a lot of strength to keep herself in place, but the pain in her head was getting worse. It made it really hard to concentrate.

"Wind, blow our enemy away!" declared Storm, who had just flown to them with Rogue. Sole rubbed her head, trying to focus on the current events. She opened her eyes, seeing that their attacker was struggling to stay in place with this raging wind. It didn't have the effect that it did on the mutants without super strength, leaving Sole and Rogue stuck in place. Finally seeing that it was doing nothing, Storm stopped her attack, resorting to lightning. Gambit and Wolverine were staggering, trying to regain their balance while Rogue attacked. The mutant threw Rogue straight into Storm, leaving only Soleanna to defend them.

She tried to push the pain in her head away, and lowered herself to the ground. She glared at her enemy, and he only smirked at her with those familiar eyes. Who was he? Why was this happening? She would find out, get to the bottom of this. The other X-men were completely out of her mind, she had to get back into her fighting mode. But this pain in her head, it only grew worse by every passing second.

"Who are you?" asked Sole.

"You should know me, Soleanna," said the green eyed mutant.

"Tell me who you are."

He laughed, "We're family, dear sister."

"Don't toy with me. Who are you and where did you come from?"

"The same place you came from, Sole. January 17th, Anna Marie LeBeau gave birth that night. One boy, and one girl-"

"No," Sole growled. By this time, the other X-men had recovered and were listening intently to this tale.

"The proud parents stood with the two children who were destined to become mutants. They both bore their mother's eyes, but that clearly was soon to change-"

"SHUT UP!" cried Sole. She was frozen in place, feeling fear for the first time since her training began.

"He was taken a year later, away from the seemingly happy family. The family didn't even fight for him, didn't care. They let those evil men or mutants take their only son. They didn't even try to fight for him-"

"Enough of your lies!"

"These aren't lies, Sole. This is what happened, and probably why you don't remember me. I wasn't around because I wasn't wanted. But back to our tale. The boy was put through many experiments, his mutant gene very rare indeed thanks to his parents. He was enhanced, and destroyed at the same time. By the time he was ten or so, he was finally ready, the perfect weapon. Lune Etienne LeBeau, the young boy who was only made to be improved finally is able to take his revenge!"

"What in the world?" Rogue spoke in disbelief.

"_Merde_..." Gambit trailed.

"It cannot be!" cried Storm.

"This family just gets weirder and weirder," commented Wolverine.

The pain in Sole's head was only getting worse by every word that she processed, "It isn't true..." she protested, knowing that it just couldn't be. Her father would have mentioned him.

"Oh, but it is, and I will have it. The young girl, my sister, she lived happily with our parents, the ones who deserted me. She got a lovely life, she was everything they wanted. She was the complete opposite of me, so she bore the name-"

"NO!"

"Soleanna Marie LeBeau."

"LIAR!" her rage blinded her as she went in for the attack. They dueled without powers for a time, Lune laughing at her every move. He was calm, and able to actually see her attacks before they came. He knocked her back, and that's when her father stepped in, keeping her in place.

"It's not a lie, sis, it's the very truth that our loving and oh so caring parents kept from us. Once mom finally left you and dad, your attributes changed. You took after him so much, even your eyes changed. He may not be the father that raised you, but he is the same, Soleanna. He kept things from you, nearly everything he said was a lie."

"That's bullshit. Everything you say is a lie!"

"Is it, Sole? You inherited the telepathy, you tell me? I only got shape shifting, teleportation, and everything the lab gave me. I only got two powers, you keep on finding more."

"That proves nothing!"

"Then why are you afraid? Why do you refuse to find the truth?"

"I know the truth! Maybe that woman didn't care, but I know that if you really are my brother, our father would have cared."

"What makes you so sure? If he cared, why didn't he tell you about me?"

"There was no need, because everything that came out of your mouth was complete bullshit!"

"Not likely, my dear granddaughter," said a new voice. Sole's head was almost unbearable, but she couldn't let that get in the way, it just wasn't an option right now. She was so angry, so upset it was hard to focus her power and try to make sure she didn't do something stupid. The new mutant that had stepped out of the shadows, red hair, yellow eyes, blue skin.

"Mystique," identified Wolverine in a dangerous tone.

"You X-men are pathetic. How could one mutant manage to defeat you all?"

"Oh really? Mind sayin' that to these?" Wolverine unleashed his claws.

"Don't bother, little man, our time here is done," said Lune, smiling maliciously.

Sole glared, "You're not going anywhere!" she cried, heading in for another attack. She was going to kill this person, everything having a strange orangeish haze over it. Lune knocked her back once more, before taking Mystique and teleporting away, "NO!" screamed Sole, attempting to go back to where they were. She screamed in pain then, falling to the air.

"Sole!" Remy called to her.

"What is happening?" asked Ororo.

"Why is she glowing like that?" Logan pondered.

"Ah got 'er!" declared Rogue, flying up to the girl.

"No Rogue! Stay where you are!" the Professor spoke, heading towards them with Jean and Scott.

"But-"

"Don't touch her!"

Remy didn't listen, going to catch his unconscious daughter. He recognized this, but he couldn't quite place this. Being so close to her, it filled him with power, power he hadn't felt in so long. She was glowing with power.

"What is dis?" Remy turned to Xavier, who had come to check on the girl's condition.

"She has developed another mutant power, one I am sure you can recognize."

"_Non_..." his eyes went straight to her in fear. Remy knew what his power was capable of, how bad it could be when it was not kept under control. He was now careful not to touch her skin, knowing what it meant. He wished there was another way, that this didn't happen to her. But from what that other mutant said, she was slowly starting to take on his own attributes. His power was just something else he should have expected. What could he do now?

"What's goin' on?" demanded Rogue.

"As Soleanna keeps growing, she gains more mutant powers. No one could say how many she gets, but as each power develops, it comes in out of control and very dangerously. Her headaches have been caused by her father's powers coming to the surface, and this one has been dormant for quite some time. It should have come out first, but for some reason it has decided to now."

"Well what does it mean? Why can' Ah touch her?"

"_Patience, chere. _No on can touch her. Any one touch her skin, she charge you before y'can stop it, and den you die, or she leave you near death if y'survive de explosion," explained Remy, sad eyes still on his daughter's face.

"What? How come you can touch then?"

"Now's not de time."

"He's right. We must get her back to the mansion, and figure this all out," agreed Xavier, leading the team back to the blackbird. Remy carried his daughter, careful of everyone around her. Rogue walked with Remy, staring down at her child. She was completely out, no response whatsoever to the current events.

"So that whacko that attacked us, he's part of this freak show family?" asked Logan.

"It appears so. There is much to this cruel future we don't know. Even if what he says is a lie, the memory would be locked inside of Soleanna. I think that when we get back to the mansion, I will try to reach her."

"Why isn't she awake?" asked Scott.

"The pain of this developing power is much more than she can take. When someone is invulnerable for so long, and then begins to feel pain for longer than it takes the body to heal, it is hard to process. Her brain has shut down consciousness in order to survive."

"You can fix it, _non_?" asked Remy, his eyes still on Sole.

The Professor didn't answer, which made the parents of this future child worry even more about her condition.

"Ah can't even touch her with mah powers?"

"No. The magnitude at which she is advanced could fill you with so much kinetic energy that you explode."

"So dere's no hope den..." The intensity of his words hovered in the air, as they boarded the blackbird.


	10. Reaching Out

_They run towards the only thing they know is safe. His grip on her is firm, he never plans on letting go, not until they will no longer be pursued. She is tired, not really there after what had just happened. She nearly falls, but the hold on her arm keeps her from that. She knows they are coming for them, but she cannot seem to get her brain to focus. She stumbles again, scraping her already pained knees. _

_"You okay, petite?" he asks, allowing her to stop for a brief moment. Her unfocused eyes fell on him, making him feel bad for pushing her so hard. He didn't have time to help her through this, he has to make sure she is safe. He picks her up, and runs as fast as he can away from their enemy. He doesn't look back, he won't. His emotions are mixed as they are, his mind in a jumble. But that can't stop him now, it won't. He finally feels safe enough to hide, and keeps his daughter close. He strains his ears for any noise, and makes sure that they don't make any. _

_She is catatonic, unable to process anything that's going on. When she finally is able to see again, she is in a room with only one bed. It was a room that once belonged to a child, one that neither of them know. She looks over to see her father, so focused on the wall. He is standing on the other side of the room, while she sits on the bed. _

_"Where are we?" she asks in a small voice. He is silent for a few moments, then looks over at her. _

_He smiles sadly, "Somewhere safe."_

_"Is anywhere even safe anymore..." she trailed, her voice starting to harden._

_Her words make him feel worse, "We find somet'in'."_

_"How? Who can we even trust anymore? Logan's probably dead."_

_"Don' say that."_

_"Mom left us to die. She's a fraud, probably the reason we got caught in the first place."_

_"Non! I won' have y'talkin' like dat."_

_"It's true!"_

_"Non."_

_"Then why did she leave us?!"_

_"Y'wouldn' undestan'. She leave fo' a reason, Sole, an' it got not'in' t'do wit'y."_

_"Nothing to do with me?! She left not only me, but you and Logan! We could have died! She was nothing but a selfish bitch, only out for herself."_

_"Montrer du respect pour ta mere."_

_"Non. She doesn't deserve it, and I'm sorry I ever even thought she was worth anything more than garbage."_

_"If only y'understood, Sole."_

_"Then explain it to me!"_

_"I can', not yet. You find all de answers, belle, when it time."_

_"You always say that, I know it's just you're way of avoiding everything."_

_He sighed, pulling something out of his pocket, "Dis will get better, I promise, petite."_

_"Yeah, sure. Why not?"_

_He walks over to her, looks into her emerald eyes for a moment, then pulls her into a hug, "I'm sorry. I make dis right."_

_"We should find Logan," she speaks in that cold and unforgiving tone. It would soon become natural to here everyday life._

_..._

Professor Xavier took himself out of Soleanna's mind. He sighed sadly, wishing that he could get to the root of the rage, or even more information about the mutant named Lune. He hadn't been able to contact her directly, her brain in so much pain she couldn't focus. Her memories were going all over the place, and it was hard to pinpoint the ones he needed. The three memories he saw meant nothing compared to this last one. If he had it correctly, it was right after Rogue had left them, they had narrowly escaped the lab, but Logan wasn't around either. If he could go back further, maybe he could help the girl with her rage.

Remy came down after some sleep. He couldn't stay away any longer, and was taken to his room after he had passed out. They weren't finding anything, and that worried, him. He knew that the Professor would do whatever he could to help the girl, but it was going a lot slower than he thought. It was hard to work with her, since no one could touch her. That was something Remy himself would have to work on with her, seeing as he was the only one who understood how this power worked. He saw Xavier still in the room with Sole, and then walked in carefully.

"You find anyt'in'?" asked Remy.

"Not entirely. I have more riddles by her jumbled memories than answers. It seems that you, Rogue and Logan all kept a big secret from her, and she has accepted that, never really trying to find answers. It makes it hard to get the answers that we need," answered Xavier.

"What about Lune?"

"I haven't been able to contact her directly, the memories of him too deep in her mind, if they exist."

"She ever goin' t'wake up?"

"I am sure once her body adjusts to this new power, she will function normally."

"What about her ot'er powers?"

"The invulnerability she inherited from her mother seems to have been cast aside. Your power has dominated everything, I doubt she could even fly. It makes me wonder if this is what happened when the other powers came to the surface."

"Is der anyway t'find out?"

"All the answers are locked in her mind. Once I am able to find her, I may be able to figure out how to help her. Perhaps I can find the answers she's looking for, the ones that you and Logan refuse to tell her."

"If we ain't sayin' anything, then there has to be reason," said Logan, walking into the room.

"I t'ought y'don' care for her, _mon ami_," Remy smirked.

"Things change."

"Until her mind is no longer so chaotic, it will be hard to find anything out. I'll give it some more time, and then I will try again," said Xavier, leaving the two mutants.

...

Three days later, Sole was still glowing and be carefully monitored. They had tested her powers, and it was still at its peak, not showing any signs of going down. Remy came to see her that day, after spending all of yesterday drinking with Logan. Rogue was there as well, having showed up for the first time today. She was weary, afraid of what would happen if the girl woke up to see the person she hated the most. According to the Professor, her mind was still chaotic, and the pain hadn't subsided yet. He hadn't had much luck reaching her, and would be in at some point today to try.

"When you get here, _chere_?" asked Remy, taking a seat near the girl.

"This mornin'. Thought Ah'd wait for the Professa an' see how she's doin'," replied Rogue, her eyes everywhere but Sole's direction.

"She be okay soon, _chere_."

"Did this happen to you when you go your powers?"

"_Oui."_

"How were you able to control it?"

"_Ne vous inquetez pas a ce sujet. _We talk some ot'er time."

"If ye say so. Ah'm just worried she'll... That she... won't be able t'touch eva again, Remy..."

"She strong, _chere_. She get over it an' go back t'hatin' you in no time," he smiled slightly.

She met his eyes, but his words were hard to take in. She knew that he meant in a light hearted way, but the thought of her only daughter still hating her bothered her. And then, what about her brother, Lune? Was it true? Or was it all made up? Did she really abandon both of her children? She knew in her heart that she would never do that. And yet here, evidence of her offspring full of hate for her. Was she really that bad of a mom? Did Remy hate her too? So many questions, and they would all go unanswered until the girl revealed the nature of this hate, the truth about it all.

"Rogue, Gambit, I am glad you're here," said Xavier, coming into the room. The two mutants looked over at their mentor, hoping that he brought them good news, "I was going to attempt to contact her again."

"T'ink you find anyt'in'?" asked Remy.

"I feel more confident this time," Xavier smiled slightly. He placed his hand on his head, concentrating his brain on the unconscious mutant.

...

_Soleanna... Where are you? I know you're in there, please, let me help you..._

_Professor? What's going on?_

_Your in pain, you have developed your father's mutant powers._

_Why aren't I awake?_

_The pain you're experiencing is too great, your brain has shut down in order to save you._

_Meaning my other powers have subsided until I can control this one._

_Have you experienced this before?_

_Only when I developed my other powers. Never like this tho, usually it only lasts a couple of days. I can only assume you've been trying to contact me for a while._

_Three days. You're kinetic powers are at an all time high. The minute you touch anyone, they will be filled with it, and then explode as the power suggests. _

_Then why are you here?_

_To help you control it, Soleanna. I believe that you're father sent you back here not only to help the future, but to help you learn how to control this power. I'm sure he saw this coming with the changes you made as you grew up. _

_What changes?_

_The transition you made when you cast your mother aside. I have seen some of your memories, you bore so much resemblance to your mother, and now that has changed. Your father would have foreseen that, and wants to help you._

_How can you expect to help someone in a situation that you have never and will never be in?_

_I can try. I have been helping young mutants control their powers for a long time._

_And how many are successful?_

_It takes time._

_None. That's what I thought._

_How can you know that?_

_It's always the excuse when someone can't provide a definitive answer. I lived around people evading my questions for years, I know all the answers to avoiding anything. _

_What are you saying may be true, but I cannot give you an answer when I do not know it._

_Nice try._

_If you were more open minded, it might help you believe._

_It's hard to be open minded when the only thing you know is hurt and despair all around you._

_Let me take some of that pain._

_No need, I no longer feel it._

_Please, Soleanna, your father is worried about you._

_I left my father in the future, and if you are so eager to help me, then maybe you should find Forge like I asked you to the first day. _

_I will find him. Let me see the source of your hate, and then I will take you to him when you recover._

_Find him first, then I'll give you a memory._

...

Xavier opened his eyes. It was something, better than no response. She still didn't trust him, and he wasn't sure how to gain that trust. He pushed for her memories, and it was a touchy subject. But if she could just understand how necessary it all was, then maybe it would be easier to get to her, to really help her the way she needed. He looked at the parents, who had their focus on their daughter. Gambit would have the best luck, but it was useless unless the girl could actually wake up.

"I reached her, briefly. She refuses to tell me anything until I find Forge, she is eager to get home," said Xavier, exiting the room. There was nothing more he could do, not until he held up his end of the bargain.

"If he talked to her, that was a good sign... right?" asked Rogue unsure of herself.

"_Oui, chere_. Her mind be able t'talk is good."

"That means she'll wake up soon..."

"We can only hope..."

"How's the kid?" asked Logan, walking into the room.

"Can' be sure yet. Why you here?"

"I found something you might be particularly interested in."

"Oh?"

"Your delinquent kid has been makin' some noise up north."

"He won' do dat unless he wants our attention, _non?_"

"That's what I think. Might go have a look just to shut him up."

"He expect you."

"I was hoping so, I think it's long overdue for a rematch."

"Ya can't go by yerself!" declared Rogue.

"I go where I wanna go."

"Ah saw what he can do, and Ah ain't gunna let one o'mah kids kill ye if Ah can avoid it. Ah'm goin' with ye."

"Suit yourself. What about you, Gumbo? Gunna take a moral stand too?"

"_Non, _not dis time. When she wake up, she need help, and Gambit de only one who knows how to do it."

...

thanks so much for your support! i love you!


	11. Lost

In a small room two men and a small child occupy it. The men are talking, watching the child. A little girl, she walks on wobbly legs, exploring the territory she is used to. She is curious, emerald eyes analyzing everything around her. She hasn't failed to get into many things she shouldn't be in, and her father happily takes away anything dangerous.

"Kid's gunna be a real troublemaker," said the shorter man.

"She spend anymore time wit' you an' y'can count on it," said the girl's father.

"Easy, Gumbo."

"Umbo," declared the girl, smiling at the older men and standing in front of her father.

"That's right, kid, Gumbo."

"_Non, je suis ton pere,_" said the other man, picking up his daughter and holding her close.

"Where's her mother?"

"Still recoverin'."

"So she ain't doin' any better yet."

"_Non._ She love dem both, can' see de bright side."

"When I find out who did this..." he unleashed his weapons, "...they won't live long enough to tell me why they did it."

"_Non belle, _those t'ings be dangerous," the father tells his child, who is reaching for the weapons.

"Bad!" she says, and the other two can't help but agree.

...

In a brightly lit bedroom, a girl of about five plays with a silver box that belongs to her father. He had given it to her, in the hopes that she could open it. He is not surprised that she can't, and even a little grateful. He walks into the room, the strawberry haired girl focused intently on her mission. His wife is beside him, and the two smile at their daughter.

"Bedtime, Sole," says her father, smiling.

"No," she replies absently, still concentrated deeply.

"Ya can play with it tomorrow," says the mother.

"Just wait, momma."

He walks over the the girl, sitting on her bed once he gets there. He gently takes the object out of her hands, "Sleep, _belle_," he repeats quietly. She pouts a little, laying back in her bed. Her mother brings the covers up and over her. Her parents look exhausted to her, and she knew that they had been having a lot of important visits lately.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Ah'll see ya in the mornin'," her mom smiles brightly at her.

The girl smiles happily, before falling asleep under the watchful eyes of her parents. They sit there for a while, watching the peaceful expression on her face. He grabs his wife's hand, and holds it tight. They knew something was going to happen, and they would do anything they could to prevent it.

"De new law pass tomorrow," he said lightly, not wanting to wake his daughter.

"Ah know. We'll be completely exposed here," she replied.

"We move, dere be many caves in de woods, _chere_."

"What kind of life is that? Running an' hidin' all the time? It's no life for her, for any of us."

"I know. We figure dis out, toget'er."

...

A thunderous crash is heard all throughout the house. A young girl is startled awake, scared. Before she can move, her mother bursts through the door, flying in the air. She screams, not sure why her mother is flying or how she managed to break the door. She grabs her child gently, and then flies back out. There are big metal robots everywhere, her father and her uncle fighting them off. Their house is destroyed, and the girl starts crying. She sees her father throw something and it explodes, and well as metal claws coming out of her uncles hands. They seem to be really effective.

"C'mon!" her mother screams, cradling her child.

"Get goin', Gumbo, I'll hold 'em off," her uncle tells them. Her father nods, and then runs towards his wife and daughter. He grabs the arms of his wife, and she takes off high into the air, avoiding the danger. The girl is shaking, never really knowing that her parents could do such things. Could she do them to? No, they would have told her, wouldn't have hidden it.

"What's wrong, _belle_?" her father asks, noting the look of fear occupying her face.

"I'm scared, _pere_," she tells him in a little voice.

"Don' be scared, _petite,_ y'_mere_ won' drop us."

"Why is this happening?"

"De world's changin'. We gotta be careful now."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"What about Logan?"

"He be dere, Sole, promise."

"How are we flying?"

"You find de answers soon, _belle_."

...

"Momma, I just can't do it!" a girl of about eight screams. She had woken up this morning floating six inches above her bed, a sign that she was a mutant and that her powers were going to develop.

"Sure ye can. Just close yer eyes an' try again," her mother coaxed, sitting in the air herself.

The girl sighed, doing as she was told. She tried think about the morning, how she was floating in the air and the dream that led her there. They had been trying for nearly the whole day, but she just couldn't get herself to stay in the air. Finally feeling that she was ready, she jumped into the air, trying to focus on staying there. It didn't work, she fell flat on her ass once more. She looked down in defeat, feeling tears in her eyes. Maybe it was just a fluke? Did she imagine it all?

"I'm sorry, momma."

"S'alright, sugah."

"How goes the trainin'?" her uncle steps in with her father. Her father is smiling as he helps her off the ground.

"I can't do it," she tells them.

"Y'all can try with her later, Ah'll start makin' somethin' t'eat," her mother says happily, before flying towards the house.

"You sure she was floatin' this mornin'?" asked her uncle, standing off on his own.

"_Oui_. She never wake up screamin' like dat before," confirmed her father.

"Maybe I was dreaming," she suggested, failure never being easy to accept.

"_Non ma belle_. We see it before y'fell to y'bed."

"How can you be sure?"

"We all mutants, Sole, we all can do t'ings dat seem impossible."

"But what if I'm not a mutant?"

"Den I love y'no less, _petite._ You my whole life."

...

"How's your head, darlin'?" her uncle asks her.

"It's okay, just makes it hard to focus," she replies honestly. It's been at least two years since she has developed her first power. They were taking a walk in the woods, the area they'd been hiding completely untouched by this new world.

"We got a long way to go today, you sure you can handle it?"

"Of course. It's better than sitting around the house and being bored."

"Don' blame ya. What I wouldn't give for the danger room right about now."

"Danger room?"

"You don't remember the mansion?"

"Mansion? What are you talking about?"

He grunted, "The X-men, kid. Where we all came from. Your parents never mentioned it?"

"No, not a word. They don't tell me anything, never really did."

"They never even mentioned the Professor?"

"I think I've heard some of them talking, but I don't really know."

"Storm? Nightcrawler? Shadowcat? Beast? ...Jean?"

"Those names sound familiar, I can almost put a face to them, but..."

"Figures. Your parents have trust issues."

"So do you, from what I hear," she raised an eyebrow.

"I can trust you, kid."

"Who can't?" she started to scream after that, the pain in her head getting worse. She grabbed her uncle's wrist, but was squeezing too tight.

"That hurts, kid!" he tried to tell her, tried to get her to understand.

"Help me..."

"When did you get so tough?"

...

"Logan, where are we going?" asks a youth. There are three of them, walking in a chaotic and hateful world. They can't make a noise, anything could be out there, ready for them.

"Somewhere safe, kid," her uncle replies. The girl rolls her eyes, keeping her ears open for anything unfriendly. Her voice is flat and unemotional, as it always has been since they had escaped the enemy lab. She rubbed her head slightly, a small pain forming there. She ignored it, knowing that it was probably something that those humans had done to her.

"How you know it safe?" her father is suspicious, and sometimes a little over protective.

"Because that's where I've been all this time. Once I got out of that lab, I woke up in another, only in a bed and not chained up. I told them I had to find you, they let me go."

"Could be a trap, _mon ami_, a way to recapture us."

"I don't think so. Did some explorin' while I was there, found nothing about the new laws, only rebels. We can trust them."

"I be de judge o'dat."

"I was sure you would. In the meantime, wouldn't hurt to get the kid some real food and a bed, would it?"

"_Non._ We go dere, den we decide."

"Fine by me, Cajun."

"And what if it is a trap? Then they already got us?" asks the girl suspiciously.

"If it is, darlin', we'll bust out X-men style."

"Right, lot of good that'll do."

"How she know about X-men?" her father asks.

"I told her years ago. You can't keep secrets like that from her."

"She not ready for de answers yet."

"Too bad. If you expect her to do anything, she should know about this shit. Before the time comes."

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked curiously.

"Don' worry 'bout it now, _belle__. _I tell you when we get dere," her father told her, and this time she believed him.

...

A youth, maybe a year after we've seen, is walking down the corridors of Forge's lab. She had a destination in mind, her uncle going off to gather supplies and beef up their defenses. She wasn't allowed to go, her training not even started yet. She pushed away the small headache she had, the voices of her comrades starting to annoy her. She didn't know how to block them out, but she was learning. She hadn't told anyone besides her father and uncle about these powers, but she had trust issues since a year ago anyway.

She walked into her father's room, and waited. He was writing on a piece of paper, and she wasn't sure if he had seen her yet. He sighed, looking as if he was reading it over, and then folded it carefully, placing it inside the silver box. She had never seen it open before, never knew that could open. He tucked it inside his brown trench, where he always kept it.

"Close de door," he told her. She did, going to sit on the bed with him.

"Forge wants me trained," she told him in that flat unemotional tone.

"_Oui_."

"He needs your okay."

"_Non._"

"Why not?"

"Y'don' need dis. Safer t'stay inside."

"I don't want to stay inside."

"You don' get t'decide dat."

"When are you going to realize that my powers could actually do some good around here?"

"Don' matter, _petite_. I don' need y'gettin' caught again."

"I can walk through walls now, I'm pretty sure it'll be harder to get caught."

"_Non_."

"Why don't you train me then? You're supposed to be master theif."

"How you know dat?"

"Logan actually tells me stuff. He doesn't evade my questions and tell me I'll find out with the right time."

"What he tell you?"

"About you, him, the other X-men, and the Professor."

"Not'in' about your _mere?_"

"I want absolutely nothing to do with the bitch."

"_Ferme le bouche._ Y'don' talk 'bout her like dat."

"I don't know why you still stick up for her. You were there, she did the leaving when we were about to die."

"It not like dat, _belle_."

"Finding that hard to believe when you don't tell me anything! You can't keep it all from me, either let me train or tell me what you've been hiding all my life!"

He was stunned by her words, taking a real look at her for the first time in months. Her hair was so much longer, eyes starting to change, become more like his. She was growing up, that was for sure. She was right, it was one or the other, he couldn't shelter her, and the more he tried, the more she would defy him. He sighed, "We start y'trainin' tomorrow, _petite_. Bright n' early."

She smiled, "_Merci." _

...

Remy awoke in his own bed in the mansion. He was drenched in sweat, the images he had just seen sinking in. His breathing was heavy, and he found it hard to focus. He put his hand to his head, wiping the sweat and trying to regain his composure. He had to go to the Professor, and figure out what was going on. Those dreams, they were more than that. He suspected it was his daughter's telepathic abilities reaching out to him. They were memories of her life, but why were they so broken and in pieces? What was he hiding from his own daughter?

He threw off the covers, finding some clothes and then marching his was to the Professors room. It was still dark outside, but he had a sense that Xavier was with Soleanna. He made his way there, hoping to find him and figure this out. He was not, however, expecting to see anyone else with his daughter. When he arrived in her room in the infirmary, Rogue, Logan and Xavier were there. They looked at Remy expectantly, before he entered the room and walked to his daughter. She was still glowing with kinetic energy, nothing improved.

"Now that we're all here, I think it's time for an explanation," said Xavier.

"We all have de same dream?" asked Remy.

"Perhaps, but they are not dreams. They are memories of the girl. I believe she is trying to reach out, ask for help, and her telepathic powers are active. If that is true, then it is a sign that she is improving, and may soon be able to control the manifestation of your own power."

Logan grunted, "So, what are we here for?"

...

thanks guys! love you!


	12. Recollection

Remy awoke in his own bed in the mansion. He was drenched in sweat, the images he had just seen sinking in. His breathing was heavy, and he found it hard to focus. He put his hand to his head, wiping the sweat and trying to regain his composure. He had to go to the Professor, and figure out what was going on. Those dreams, they were more than that. He suspected it was his daughter's telepathic abilities reaching out to him. They were memories of her life, but why were they so broken and in pieces? What was he hiding from his own daughter?

He threw off the covers, finding some clothes and then marching his was to the Professors room. It was still dark outside, but he had a sense that Xavier was with Soleanna. He made his way there, hoping to find him and figure this out. He was not, however, expecting to see anyone else with his daughter. When he arrived in her room in the infirmary, Rogue, Logan and Xavier were there. They looked at Remy expectantly, before he entered the room and walked to his daughter. She was still glowing with kinetic energy, nothing improved.

"Now that we're all here, I think it's time for an explanation," said Xavier.

"We all have de same dream?" asked Remy.

"Perhaps, but they are not dreams. They are memories of the girl. I believe she is trying to reach out, ask for help, and her telepathic powers are active. If that is true, then it is a sign that she is improving, and may soon be able to control the manifestation of your own power."

Logan grunted, "So, what are we here for?"

"If you all don't mind, I would like to have a look inside your minds to see what you have seen. Perhaps with this information, I can find a way to help her quiet the kinetic energy and help her control it. Maybe there is a clue that we're missing, somehow be able to put together her past and find out what she has been searching for."

"I don't want no one pokin' around in my head."

"I promise that so long as you think of the images you have just seen, I will see nothing else."

"I don't like it..." he looked over at the unconscious, glowing girl. Seeing those, her memories, it made him realize how important he was to her, and helped him see what she was like. He may not have the whole story, but she can't help but trust the man she grew up with, the only one that actually helped her understand anything about her. It was no wonder she looked up to him, "... but the minute I say stop, you'd better stop."

Xavier nodded, putting his hands on either side of Logan's head. It didn't take long, and he moved onto the other two. When he was finally finished, he seemed more confused than when he began.

"What is it? You find it?" asked Remy.

"They were all the same, none of them different."

"But what can that mean?" asked Rogue.

"It means she is losing control of her telepathic powers."

"It seem like dere be part o'de story missin'," stated Remy.

"Yes, in between when you were captured and what happened in the labs. I wonder why her mind skipped over those."

"I don't know, and I don't care. I'm goin' huntin'," said Logan, leaving the room.

"Wolverine, wait!" called Rogue, following him. She was hoping to have better luck with her other child.

Xavier had his eyes closed, focusing his mind. Remy knew that he was trying to reach Soleanna, trying to figure out his big mystery. He sighed lightly, knowing there was nothing more he could do here. He would have placed a hand on his daughter, but he couldn't. The glow was brighter than ever, and it hurt him to know that he couldn't do anything for her. Giving her a last glance, he walked away, wishing there was more results when he returned.

...

The mansion felt different for some reason. A lot of the students had heard what happened to the random new member of the team, and yet, they didn't bother to ask about it. Remy found solace in the garage with his bike. In a time like this, it was better spent drinking it all away, but that would mean leaving the mansion. While he did have a drink, he couldn't bring himself to get completely toasted. If Soleanna were to wake up at all, he wanted to at least have some of his brain cells intact.

"I do not think you can get that any cleaner, Gambit," said Ororo, walking over to see how her friend was doing.

"Stormy, y'should know Gambit better den dat," replied Remy, smiling at the weather goddess.

"I do, which is why I came here to talk."

"Somet'in' on your mind?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I noticed you did not attend the mission with Rogue and Logan."

"Dey can handle demselves."

"You did not want to leave the girl."

"Her power too strong..."

"Like yours used to be. Have you not told anyone else what you did to help yourself?"

"_Non, _an' dey don't need t'know."

"Not even Soleanna?"

"Gambit never tell her anyt'in'. But dat box she got, de lil silver one, it was given to me by _Tante_. If she can' open dat, she have her answers."

"What if she can't? What if you sent the box back with her, so that you could reveal the truth like you promised?"

"How you know dat?"

"The dreams from last night, I had them as well. The girl never knew me in her life, but the tales she heard of my from Logan must have made her reach out. I only wish that I could have been more involved with her development. She would maybe even smile."

"She never smile..."

Ororo put a hand on his shoulder, "She has had a hard life. It is up to you and Rogue to show her a better one. She is here to protect you. Help her out, and I'm sure she will learn everything you sent her here to find out."

Remy smiled, before returning to his work. Ororo left at that point, knowing there was nothing more to say. Her words swam through his head, but he wasn't sure what he could do about it. There was so much to think about, so much more to figure out. Before Soleanna had come, his life was pretty simple. Now, there was a broken family, and it was all up to him to figure it out. It was all so sudden, he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to run, just get away from it all, but Rogue was the main obstacle every time he had thought of that.

He was in love with Rogue, he knew it. They had a very strained relationship, and her powers were always her excuse for not getting close to him. She didn't give him a chance to find his way around them. He knew it was because she didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't realize how hurt he already was without her willing to at least try. He had seen the way she looked at him, knew that he wasn't crazy, she did have feelings for him. If only she could _see_! But that girl was stubborn, just like his own daughter.

Soleanna was the product of himself and Rogue, and that only reinforced his beliefs. Something in the future happened, that enabled the two of them to be together. What was it? The answer was locked away in his unconscious daughter. Even if he asked, he was sure the girl wouldn't tell, she wanted nothing to do with her mother. How was he supposed to fix anything if he didn't even know the problem in the first place? Sometimes he missed when life was simple. Finally realizing that Ororo was right, there really was no way to get the bike cleaner, he left the garage, wandering back to his daughter.

...

"Anyt'in'?" asked Remy as he entered the infirmary. Xavier, Beast, Jean and another man Remy didn't recognize were standing around the girl. Xavier looked over at the Cajun, who was walking towards them.

"I have found out that the memories she skipped over, she has a strong psychic block on them," said Jean, smiling sadly.

"You get dem too?"

"No, the Professor shared them with me, hoping that I could get through to her."

"Her kinetic energy almost completely subsided when Jean had touched her mind. Her levels are the same as when she had first come in, but she seems to be gaining more control of it," said Beast.

"So she wake up soon, _non_?" asked Remy.

"We are hoping so. I managed to track down Forge for when that happens. Hopefully with her information, we can have a better chance at figuring this out," replied Xavier. Remy walked up to his daughter, looking into her face. She looked happier this way than any other time he had seen her. The glow was fainter, but still occupying her whole body. Through the memories, he had seen her eyes change from her mother's to his. He couldn't help but wonder why that happened, and why his power was so dominant over the others.

They sat in silence for the moment, each passing minute the glow growing fainter. Remy touched her forehead, feeling power coming from her, but it wasn't attacking him. She was awake in her mind, the other powers probably coming back. She was able to control it to the point that at least she wouldn't set something off accidently. He would still need to work with her, just to help her get that absolute control she would need. She was much stronger than him, not having to go through the same process that he did in order to gain control. He felt he would never redeem himself of those bad times in his life.

When the glow was completely gone, he kept his hand in hers. She was going to open her eyes at any moment, he could just feel it. He looked, seeing that Jean and Xavier were in deep concentration with their eyes closed. They had to be talking with Sole. Beast was running some tests, noting how her condition was improving, while the mutant called Forge looked on in mild interest.

This mutant must be important if she needed to find him so badly. He wondered how this was all going to work with him not having the same memories as her. What could this man possibly do if they didn't have the same memories? He was very confused about that one. Judging from the life she had before, she was good at following orders. If that was the last thing she had to do, she would do it and not fail. He could be sure that he raised her that way, especially with the help of Logan.

He finally felt Soleanna squeeze his hand, and indication that she was going to be alright. Remy smiled slightly, and then bigger when he finally saw her eyes open up. She looked like anyone who had just woken up, that annoyed expression on her face. She stretched, and it looked like it at least felt good. Her eyes fell on her father, and the corners of her mouth twitched. It was the closest thing to a smile he was getting, and he took it.

"You're all fucking annoying," she declared, using a light hearted tone, as opposed to her usual flat unemotional one.

"You make jokes now, _petite_?" Remy smiled at her.

"Who said I was joking? How is anyone supposed to get any sleep around here with these two poking around in their heads?"

Jean laughed lightly, "We were worried."

"Obviously. Who's this guy anyway? Never seen 'im before."

Professor Xavier looked a little surprised to hear that. He cleared his throat, holding his hand out, "This is Forge, the mutant you were looking for."

Soleanna looked at him with her eyes wide. She narrowed them after that, finally seeing the resemblance, "Well, it's about time."

...

i love you all! thank you so much!


	13. Acceptance

"Why is it that you do not recognize Forge?" asked Xavier.

"He looks a lot different in my world," replied Soleanna, sitting up in her bed. Her back hurt from being in the same place for so long.

"Does something happen to me?" asked Forge, who was completely confused as to why he was here in the first place.

"I'm not sure. You just have more... let's say robotic characteristics."

He laughed, "In that case, I should be surprised that I'm still alive."

"I guess? You're the only reason any mutant has somewhere safe, you and your lab."

"Now that definitely sounds like me."

"You found my uncle, rescued and probably saved him. He came back for us, my father and I. You gave us a safe place, food and shelter, and you also devised a way for me to travel back in time and stop the chaos, so that our time can be actually livable. Your last instruction was for me to find yourself in this time, and explain what was going on and why I was here and all that."

"What am I expected to do?"

"How am I supposed to know? We barely talked really, you mostly dealt with my father."

"How good is your connection with the government?" asked Xavier.

"Quite well. There are some things kept from even you, Professor."

"Have you ever heard anything about a new world? Or mutant paradise?"

Forge put his hand to his chin in deep thought. Sole held her breath. If there was something starting already, then she had come back to the right time, and would actually be able to go home earlier than she expected, "I'm not sure about this new world talk, but I've heard rumours of something called Project Paradise."

"Oh?" inquired Sole.

"It's all whispers, nothing definite. The best I can do is try to look into it. If I hear anything else, you'll be the first I call."

"That's comforting. Do you know anything about this mutant named Lune?"

"No. We have been tracking some strange energy and the marks left behind everything it seems to touch."

"That would be him. I'd like anything you can find on him as well."

"Consider it done."

...

After another day of observation, Soleanna was finally able to leave the infirmary and go about her own way. While she had at least some control of her new power, the ability to fly had not come back to her yet. She missed it, feeling free in the blue skies. Upon the Professor's request, she did not leave the grounds, at least, not until her mutant powers were all present and accounted for. She had discovered that Logan and Rogue were gone, looking into the mystery that is Lune. He seemed to be making a lot of noise, and that didn't surprise her at all.

She had spent most of the day with her father, trying to get her to control the new power flowing through her. She was a quick learner, even with cards. She didn't like the cards, however, she preferred throwing knives. Remy wasn't picky, and actually enjoyed sparring with her. The training she had undergone was obvious, a mix of Logan and himself, with a dash of her mother. Even with her ability to fly being disabled, she was quick on her feet and adapted nicely. By the end of the session, the two of them had barely broken a sweat.

"You good, _petite_," said Remy, as they walked out.

"I learned from the best," she replied, stretching her legs a little.

Remy smiled. Having her memories had definitely helped him understand her, and how he had been with her. He really wasn't all that different, maybe she would open up a little more. He led them outside, and had lit up a cigarette. She was looking at the setting sun, eyes cloudy and unfocused. It was the first time since she had come here that she felt normal, like she had never left home in the first place.

"De Prof tell you dat we all have dreams 'bout y'past?" asked Remy, not really sure on how to start the conversation.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about it. My powers going out of control and all that crap," she replied, lighting her own smoke. She took a seat on the grass, her eyes focused on the pinks, oranges, and blues of the sky.

"Dere was some missin', _non_?"

She smirked slightly, "Yes, quite a bit, actually."

"Y'mind tellin' Gambit de rest?"

"Kind of..."

He sighed, "Don' y't'ink I deserve to know...?"

She looked down, wishing that he already did know. She knew she would have to at some point, it would make her feel better. But without him knowing, it made it feel less like he was her father, and she didn't like that. She looked back up at the sky, the stars starting to make their appearance, "What do you want to know?"

"Start from de beginnin'"

"I can't be too sure of the details before I was born, but obviously, you and Rogue get together. From what I can tell now, you guys are having troubles, I'd rather keep it that way-"

"Stick to de story, _petite_."

"I don't know how it happens, but at some point, Rogue loses her powers, all of them. I'm assuming that when one of you made the move. You were both married before you had children, and I don't know where we lived. If it was here, I was too young to remember it. From what I could see in the pictures, you were married quite a while before you decided on the next step. The first part of my life was very happy, normal, kind of like this.

"I remember the first attack, Rogue had her powers and she flew into my room to collect me. I later learned that she had a mutant named Sage get her powers back. I guess it happened a few days before the attack, I did notice she started wearing a lot more clothing than I was used to. I was only a little girl, and I have no idea where you took us, but we survived for a long time. Once I started developing my mutant powers, that's when the peace disappeared completely. That was when we were captured."

"What happen in de labs?"

"I blocked those memories when I developed my psychic abilities. I have a few disturbing images, but I can't access them. The walls are too strong."

He nodded, his eyes never leaving her. The sun was completely gone by now, "If y'can' get to de memories, den how you know Rogue left us?"

"Because the hate that formed from that moment never faded, didn't disappear with the memories. I may not be able to tell you what I saw, but I can definitely tell you exactly how I felt."

"How, _petite_?"

"It was the first time I had ever felt an emotion so strongly before. I remember I couldn't function properly after it happened. I wasn't even sad, and once I started to feel, I became angry. The source of that anger was the look on your face when it happened. I'll never forget it, and I'll never forgive her for it."

Remy didn't know what to say. He didn't get exactly what he wanted from her, but it was all so horrible she didn't want to relive it. How could he ask her for that information now? It made him feel bad to know that she kept this pain inside, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew one thing, there was no way he could talk her into liking her own mother. That was something that had to be regained. He still couldn't believe that Rogue would just up and leave them to die, his heart wouldn't let him.

"What about de silver box?"

She looked at him sharply, "How do you know about that?"

"_Tante_ give dat t'me when I young."

"Huh. I never knew that. You always had it, sometimes you let me play with it. Only once have I ever seen you open it. Before that, I never thought it could be opened. I remember this one day, when I was younger, I asked you about it. You told me it was the answer to everything, and that when the time was right, I would find everything I needed inside the box. I could never understand what that meant. You gave me the box before I came here, and I've been trying to open it ever since."

"Sound like Gambit don' change much as he get old."

The corners of her mouth twitched, "I suppose not."

"Dat was a joke, _petite._ Be nice if y'smile."

"I have no reason to smile."

"Den we find one, _non_?"

Her eyes glazed over slightly. One tear fell, as she gave him a fierce hug, minding her strength. She missed her father so much at that moment, it was hard to contain herself, "_Je t'aime," _she said softly.

Remy was shocked. Not only had this girl opened up some of the darkest parts of her heart, but now she was completely vulnerable. He wasn't expecting this, she was always so strong and hard. He was probably the only one she actually let her guard down around, and he truly realized at this point how hard leaving her world behind was. He hugged her for the first time, feeling a real connection with his offspring.

"_Je t'aime_," he told her, hoping that it would help, but actually feeling the joy of parenthood.

...

now i know this one is VERY short and i really do apologize, but i wanted the intensity and feeling of this part to really stand out, without distracting you with something else afterwards. thank you so much for your support


	14. New Recruit

Soleanna woke up maybe a week later. Rogue and her uncle hadn't returned yet, and it made her wonder how Logan was doing. She didn't want something to happen to either of them, but she suspected that Lune wouldn't kill them, at least not until Sole was there to see it. She knew what the need for vengeance was, and her so called brother would want to take revenge on the whole family, not just one third. She stretched and rolled over in her bed, digging something out of her back. It was the silver box, the one her father had given her. She fell asleep trying to open it, trying to find the answers that were lost to her.

Her father had respected her wishes and didn't try to talk her into liking her mother. She knew that he wouldn't understand unless he saw what she saw, and she couldn't even be sure of what she saw at this moment. She had often thought about destroying the psychic block she had on those memories, in the hopes that she had missed something crucial. But it was the basis of her rage, what provoked her and made her fight so well. She was afraid that without it, she would no longer be the warrior she needed to be.

Besides, if she was going to change the future, none of them would remember any of it. She would still have her rage, or maybe not. There were times when she missed her mother, only up until that point where she was betrayed. That woman promised she would be there, promised to take care of her. She lied, and there was no greater pain than not being able to rely on the people you loved. She had no more room for love, not for someone like that. Even if this Rogue didn't know what she was capable of, Sole was very aware of her past tidings with the Brotherhood, and knew that nobody ever really changed. Everybody lies, there was no way to trust anyone knowing that. Even her father lied, but he was always there to protect her, even now in this time. She could never really be mad at him, even with the way he was keeping things from her.

After playing with that annoying box, she finally gave up and put it in the drawer of her nightstand. She locked it with psychic force, not wanting anyone to get to it, or the pearl that kept her in this time period. No one, of course, knew about that, and she intended to keep it that way. She made her way to the kitchen, quite famished after yesterday. She was so tired she just passed out, not even bothering with food. For some reason, she had this nagging feeling like something bad was going to happen very soon. She dismissed it, however, not caring to entertain something that was probably not worth investigating. She had those feelings before, and nothing ever happened anyway.

She opened the fridge to get a drink. She was used to drinking mostly dirty water her whole life, this idea of clean water still worried her. Besides, she hated water anyway, it had absolutely no taste to it. She preferred something better, like juice and pop. At first she wasn't too keen on the idea, but now she couldn't get enough of it. When she closed the fridge, she noticed a note in very specific hand writing.

_Sole,_

_Danger room._

_-R._

She sighed slightly, but ate quickly and made her way there. She almost had complete control of her new power, and the other had finally returned. She hated the ability to feel pain, and was glad she no longer could. She was hoping that this would be the last session she focused on the kinetic energy. While she liked making things explode, she just wasn't all that into it as her father. She understood why, it was the only power he ever had. Well, the only power that he outwardly showed anyway. She didn't know if she had his other power, and she wasn't really all that willing to try. It was useless where she came from.

She entered the danger room completely on her guard. The fact that it was completely dark already told her he had everything ready. She couldn't see a thing, and he knew that's exactly what he wanted. She was blind in this darkness. Every little sound counted. He was a mast thief, meaning his stealth abilities were off the charts. She wouldn't even be able to hear him breathe. Bad news for him, he had taught her every trick he ever knew, and that meant the new ones that she honed from his own future.

Gently lifting herself into the air, she strained her ears in the darkness. He wouldn't make a sound, and neither would she. He was as much stuck in this as she was. That suited her just fine, she would pass his test. She knew he was just trying to learn everything she already knew, was wondering if there was something he ever missed. But the way she combined his and Logan's style made it that much harder for him. She heard a slight charge, and turned to see an orangish light. He wasn't there, it was a decoy. He wouldn't come from behind her, she would expect that. She used her ability of flight and speed to create a tornado, able to fend off his attack no matter which angle he came from.

"Nice move, _petite_," he complimented. He was throwing his voice. Too bad for him, she could pinpoint it exactly. She was locked on to him, knowing his every move now. She sent her own decoys, and the rushed at him with her speed and strength. She was careful not to hurt him, but he definitely wasn't expecting that attack. By the end of it, she had won their duel in the dark. When the lights were on, he had some frayed clothing, and she not a scratch on her.

"Told you I didn't need anymore training," she said smugly at him.

"_Non, _but it be good learnin' for me," he said, walking out of the danger room with her. Some of the younger students were walking in with Hank, and Sole acknowledged them, "Now dat de trainin' be done, y'need to t'ink 'bout teachin'."

"Aren't I a little young? I mean, most of these students aren't that far in age from me."

"What you afraid of, _petite_?"

"I've just... never been around younger people, and I don't know how to teach."

"In dis short time, y'taught me many t'ings 'bout yourself."

"Yeah, but, what exactly am I supposed to teach them?"

"Control, what we all here t'learn. You have de best so far, wit' all dem powers."

"I suppose, but I'd really rather not."

"We all gotta pull our weight, _belle._ Now Gambit know he didn' teach y'to be freeloadin'."

"No, I always did what I had to in Forge's lab."

"Dis place be no different den."

"It's a hell of a lot different."

He smiled, "Y'be fine, promise."

She nodded, and then they parted ways. She knew he had things on his mind, like Rogue and how long she's been gone. Sole wished that she could make him see that it just wasn't a good idea, that he was only going to get hurt pursuing the mutant. She went to her room to be alone, and think about this whole teaching thing. She barely knew these students, only ever saw them in the hall ways.

She went over everything in her mind about how she learned to control her powers. It was going to be hard, but she knew that the danger room was her best bet. She had learned by intense fighting, she would have to ease these students into it. She was absently playing with the box, knowing that she would never get it open. Her life seemed to be changing so much, she barely felt like the same person she always was. Was this what her father wanted? She was sure of it, knowing that he always felt guilty for the way their lives went. She sighed, looking out into the sky. She missed her family, and hoped that they were doing well.

...

His name was Maddock. He was a young mutant, with the power to completely control anything that contained electrons in it. He traveled to this world in the past, getting away from his own chaotic future. His memory was completely shot, he didn't know anything. He knew that this wasn't home, that he didn't belong here, and yet, he was stuck. As he wandered the strange town, he couldn't quite place himself. What was he doing here? What had happened? Questions that he would never know the answers to. For some reason, the colour red really stuck out at him.

What was it that he was missing? Why red? What had he come here for? He was following someone, someone important. Was it a man? Or a woman? He was so confused. A woman felt right. She was from the same place he was, that he was sure of. He continued walking down the street, looking to everything that could give him a clue as to why he was here. He had never seen such life before, and he was very curious about it.

As he continued to walk down the busy street, he saw actual things on the televisions. The word demon screamed at him, and he remembered strawberry blond, and demon eyes. A young woman, with strawberry blond hair and demon eyes. But from the looks of things around here, there was no way to find someone like that. On top of it all, these people appeared to be ordinary humans. That was his other power, he could sense mutants within a 100 mile radius. If he kept going, how was he supposed to understand it all?

He couldn't even remember how he had gotten there in the first place. But he knew he had to find this girl, who he suspected was a mutant. He didn't know why he had to find her. Was she friend or foe? He couldn't say for sure. Maybe she could help him figure out everything he needed to know. Unless he was tasked to kill the girl. Was he capable of such things? He couldn't even remember what he was like, just that he came from a dark and chaotic place. How was he supposed to find her anyway?

He kept walking, it was the only thing he could do. A breeze blew his way, and he felt the need to follow it. He didn't know why, he couldn't. But what did he really have to lose? There was nothing else left besides his own name and abilities. He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to find this girl, but it was the only thing he could remember.

He didn't know how long he walked, but he could sense someone following his every move. There were two of them, mutants. He waited until he was charged up, before turning around to look behind him. He knew that he wouldn't see anything, that would make too much sense. He waited patiently, knowing that if faced, they would reveal themselves. They didn't.

"I know you're there, my mutant power can detect you," he calls out into the air behind him. Still, nothing. He waits, they're mutant powers still in the same spot. He has all the time in the world, while these two probably have an agenda, why else would they be following him. Finally, he sees two figures approach. He can't exactly see them all that well, they are too far away. He does know that if they are hostile, he is ready for them.

"Maddock, it's been too long," says the young mutant before him, standing next to another woman, completely blue with yellow eyes and red hair.

"Stay back," he warns them, powers ready to charge.

The man looks confused, "We've been looking for you this whole time, when did you arrive?"

"Does that matter?" he gets the feeling that letting these mutants know he has no memory is a bad idea.

"You're looking for Soleanna, right?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, what's it to you?"

"You haven't heard? She joined the X-men, they're hell bent on making sure our future turns into the chaos it is now."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I'm Lune, her brother. I tried to reason with her, but she just won't listen. She needs to be destroyed."

"Or at least sedated. We can't let our world turn out the way it is, or else no one will ever be free again. We'll be hunted until we're extinct."

"Too true, friend. This is Mystique, my grandmother from this world. Come on, let's go find Soleanna and put an end to this catastrophe."

"Agreed," nodded Maddock, walking with his comrades. He still wasn't completely sure of what was happening, but he did know that if there was a chance to save his world, he would take it. Soleanna must be eliminated if necessary.

...

thank you so much for your support. i love you all!


	15. Confrontation

He walked down the halls on silent feet. His destination was firm in his mind, feeling lady luck with his own footsteps. He arrived quicker than he thought, the light from the room on the other side of the door shining brightly at his feet. He opened the door quietly, slipping in completely unnoticed. This wasn't new to him, he had done it plenty of times. He smiled as he watched his prey, who was completely oblivious of his presence. Her back was turned towards him, as she was folding the clothes on her bed. He observed her before finally clearing his throat. She whipped around, emerald eyes scanning for her intruder.

"Damnit Remy! Ah told ye neva to sneak up on meh!" she scolded her night visitor.

"Gambit miss you too, _chere_," said Remy, smiling.

"How did ye know Ah was back?"

"Saw de plane come in, t'ought I'd give you a warm welcome, _non_?" he raised an eyebrow at her. She smirked, making his knees want to drop. He was completely at her mercy with a look like that on her face.

"Life is always better with a dash of Cajun."

"Gambit like were dis be goin, _chere," _he walked closer to her. She visibly flinched, the proximity too close for her liking. She wasn't even completely covered, not expecting to have a visitor so late. She hated that she couldn't get close, couldn't risk it.

"How's Sole?" she asked, red in the cheeks.

"She wake up few days after y'left. She back in control, and she open up more."

"Still wants mah blood?"

"_Oui_."

Rogue looked a little sad to hear that. The only thing she could take from this is that her daughter was back to normal, and that was at least a good sign. But she couldn't get over how the girl hated her so much. She'd have to do something about it, who cares what the Professor said. He didn't know what it was like, so how could he possibly give her advice on it?

"She didn't say why?" asked Rogue, her eyes pleading into his demon ones.

"_Non_. Don' worry so much 'bout it now, _chere_."

"Well what can Ah do Remy?"

"Tell y'what. We make de girl now, and when she talk, you ask her den, _non?_"

Rogue narrowed her eyes dangerously at the Cajun, "Is that all ye eva think about?!" she demanded of him in anger. Pushing him away slightly, she dashed out of her room into the night. Remy watched her go, not even phased the slightest by her words. She knew him better than that, and he took solace in that knowledge. There was nothing more to do here, so he left her room, on a mission of his own. He knew exactly where Rogue was going.

...

Soleanna was sitting on the roof of the mansion on the crisp night. She could see her own breath, but that didn't make much of a difference to her at the moment. Mostly because she was smoking a cigarette. She kept her gaze on the moon, her teaching sessions still rolling in her mind. It had been a couple of weeks, and some students had already made progress. It made her feel good to know that she was at least doing something right. She exhaled her last puff, deciding to make the thing explode. It wasn't a big one, she had complete control of the newly acquired kinetic energy.

She could sense someone near her, and she wasn't getting a good vibe. She sent out a silent probe with her mind, and then glowered in the darkness. It definitely wasn't someone she wanted to see at all. She steeled herself, as Rogue flew to her. She kept her distance, Sole waiting for the woman to speak.

"Ah see yer feelin' better," said Rogue tentatively. Sole remained unresponsive, "Remy tells meh y'can control your power completely," she went on. Sole didn't budge, "Ah'm glad to see ya better though, had meh worried-"

"What do you want?" Sole turned to the woman with hateful eyes.

"Ah..." Rogue looked down, "Ah wanted to talk to ye..."

"About?"

"Why do ye hate meh?" she blurted, not knowing any other way to word it.

"Why do you care?"

"Because, Ah'm yer momma."

"I don't have a mother! Not anymore!"

"Please, Sole, tell meh why."

"You left us to die!" she shrieked, her rage finally coming out in the confrontation.

"No-"

"Yes, you did! We were captured, all four of us. Logan got us out, and we were attacked on the way of our escape. We needed you, and you just up and left. We nearly died, I don't know how we got out but we did. You died to me that day! I will NEVER forgive you for all the grief you caused us!"

"It can't be!"

"You weren't there!"

"Ah know in mah heart that Ah-"

"You are capable of bad things, I know your past."

Rogue looked down at her feet, "Ah'm sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't change anything, and it never will! You abandoned us, and for that, you will forever be dead to me!"

"Ah'm so sorry..."

"Don' y't'nk you bein' a lil rough, Sole?" asked Remy, who had been standing there for the whole fight pretty well.

"Don't start with me," she told him coldly.

"Why won' you listen, _petite_? Dis woman, she ain't like dat."

"You always say that."

"An' it never stop bein' true."

"It did the day she left us to die!" Sole could feel her eyes starting with tears.

"It's true Sole, Ah would neva-"

"You don't get to speak!"

"Y'can' keep dis anger, _petite__. _She wouln' leave us, not unless dere be a good reason fo' it."

"LIAR!" she screeched before taking off into the air. Remy and Rogue watched her go, knowing it would be foolish to follow her. There were tears in Rogue's eyes, and Remy wished he had his gloves on, to be able to wipe them away. He walked over to her, and hugged her, careful not to touch her skin. There was a time for fun and games, this was not one of them. Whether the two of them liked it or not, Soleanna had the stubbornness and rage of her mother, and that made Remy smile.

...

Soleanna had tears in her eyes when she returned to her room through the open window. She sat on her bed, the mental anguish being too much. It was like this every time she opened her mouth about her mother. Her father would tell her she was wrong, that Rogue didn't leave for no reason. She was so sick of hearing it. She was there, she knew what she saw. How could he still defend her?

Her whole life, she had been faced with so many problems, so many questions, and no way to answer them. She hated that about her father. He never told her anything, just that she would find out. Well she was old enough damnit! Taking the silver box out of the drawer, she wrestled with it, trying to just pry it open with her strength. It wasn't working, and it only made her more frustrated.

"Heard you had some kind of family reunion," said Logan from her door. Sole didn't even look up at him, just threw the box away from herself.

"What do you want?" she grumbled, not really angry with him.

"Makin' sure you're okay, kid."

"I'll be fine."

"You're crying."

"You're caring."

"Don't matter," he walked over to her, picking up the box with mild curiousity, "What's this?"

"Apparently whatever the fuck's inside will answer all the questions my father oh so cleverly avoided," she answered coldly.

"So open it."

"I can't. Nothing can get it open."

"So get Gumbo to open it."

She blinked, "What?"

"Goin' deaf girl? I said, get Gumbo to open it. It's his isn't it?"

"Well yeah, he gave it to me before I came here."

"So what's the difference on who opens it. If you want something, get it done. You want the thing open, get Gumbo to do it."

"Yeah."

"Yer tellin' me a kid as smart as you never figured that out?"

"Well... no, I never did think of it. But only because I thought I was supposed to figure it out. He said that I would get my answers when the timing was right, so I always assumed the right time was I finally figured out how to open it."

"The right time is when you know it is. If you think you can handle what's inside, then do it whatever way possible. If not, then leave it alone."

"I want my answers."

"Then get Gumbo to open it. I'm done goin' in circles here," he told her, before leaving the room. He dropped the box on the bed, right beside her. She looked at it, trying to regain her composure. She took it in her hands again, trying to fiddle with the locks. Logan was right, her father was probably the best bet in getting her answers. He always told her that he would tell her everything, that she would get what she wanted-her answers. Getting him to open the box was the only way he could actually do that. He had never lied to her, and this was just another way he had managed to help her in her life.

Her mind made up, she held the box in her hand and dashed out the door. She went straight to her father's room, knocking on it. She knew he was there, absently sending a probe to figure it out. After what felt like hours, he finally opened the door. He was surprised to see her, but opened the door for her to come in, turning on a light.

"What is it, _petite_?" he asked curiously.

"I need you to open this," she told him, handing him the box. He looked surprised to hear that, looking at the familiar silver box in her hand. He tentatively took it, noting that it was the exact same one he kept in his own trench. He went to sit on the bed, Sole's eyes never leaving him.

"Y'sure you ready for dis?"

"Yes. It's about time, I need my answers, I can't wait any longer."

"_Oui_."

She watched him do it, and yet, she still couldn't figure out how he did it. Within seconds, the box was open. Her heart was pounding as she looked inside, her answers finally accessible to her.

...

you totally knew i was going to make you wait at least one more time. i still love you tho! thank you so much, you guys are awesome!


	16. The Answer

"What is it, _petite_?" he asked curiously.

"I need you to open this," she told him, handing him the box. He looked surprised to hear that, looking at the familiar silver box in her hand. He tentatively took it, noting that it was the exact same one he kept in his own trench. He went to sit on the bed, Sole's eyes never leaving him.

"Y'sure you ready for dis?"

"Yes. It's about time, I need my answers, I can't wait any longer."

"_Oui_."

She watched him do it, and yet, she still couldn't figure out how he did it. Within seconds, the box was open. Her heart was pounding as she looked inside, her answers finally accessible to her. She looked, seeing several pieces of paper rolled up. She took one carefully, unrolling it. It was the biggest one, and she hoped this is what she had waited for all these years. Reading it, she threw her hands up in frustration, screaming as she punched a hole in the wall that connected to her father's bathroom.

"_Quoi_?"

"It's in fucking French! He _knows_ I can't read French!" she screamed, throwing the paper away in distaste. What was she supposed to do now? He had managed to keep information from her still, even while he wasn't here! Then it hit her, and for the first time in years, she started to laugh. Remy was shocked to see this, actually enjoying his daughter's smile. The sound of her laughter filled him with hope, this wonderful feeling he had never felt before, even though he was completely confused as to why she was laughing in the first place.

"Care to share, _petite?_"

"He did on purpose! He planned it all out completely, sending me back here and writing it all in French. That way, if I opened the box on my own, I would have to come to you so that you could read it. It was the only way he could keep his promise."

"Which one dat be?"

"He told me all my life that he would give me the answers when the timing was right. He can't while I'm here, but his past self, you, can. No wonder you're a master!" she laughed harder, doubling over. Remy smiled, liking that his future self was still so cunning. It seemed he wasn't going to lose any of his skills the older he got. When she was finally able to contain herself, wiping away the tears, she grabbed the paper she had thrown away, and then sat on the bed with her father. She grabbed all of them, and then gave them to him. He unrolled one of them, reading it to her.

"_Mon Dieu_, after all de time I spend with _ma belle_, she finally open up. After her powers gone, I give her time, and she come back. We finally pick up de pieces of our lives, and act like a normal couple. It be de best time of my life.

"Rogue is leavin' on a mission. She got no power, but de Prof feel she be okay. I don' like dat, but dey don' know I keep watch over her. Logan agrees, and we go soon t'follow. She scared when she leave, I know, but I tell her she be alright, an' I know she believe.

"De best day o' my life. Anna accept my proposal, we be married soon. Never t'ought a t'ief like me could be so happy after everyt'in' I've done. I don' deserve it, but I won' start messin' wit' it now.

"First day wit' Anna Marie LeBeau. So much of our lives to live, an' it feel like we have all de time in de world.

"_Merde,_ I be _un pere_, soon. _Tante_ tell me de day would come, but I never believe her before. When Anna tell me de news, I feel so good 'bout it, can' contain it.

"Anna's concern 'bout our _enfants_ bein' mutants silly. Dey be fine, even wit' de new law comin'. We can keep dem safe, wit' or wit'out powers. Besides, dey live wit' us in de mansion, what better place t'be safe?

"January 17. I have twins, a strong boy an' a beautiful girl. Lune Etienne, an' Soleanna Marie, complete opposites of each ot'er already. Dey have dere _mere's_ eyes, an' I couldn' be happier. Eyes like mine stand out, wouldn' want dem to grow up wit' dat burden. Dey be healthy an' quiet. We be proud parents.

"De _enfants_ grow so fast. Dey walk an' nearly talk, only a year later. Dey like dere _pere_, gettin`in everyt'ing dey shouldn' be. Can' believe how lucky dis t'ief be t'have such a beautiful _famille._

"Never t'ought de day would come when I couldn' protect my own family. My son was taken from us, de X-men over powered. Logan be huntin' dem now, Anna completely devastated. Soleanna too young t'notice, but she see de sorrow. No time for my own pain, Sole need some t'look after her.

"No word on Lune, even S.H.I.E.L.D can' find dem. More an' more reports of de new mutant law. Soleanna growin' up fast. She don' remember her brot'er, too young. Anna pushes de pain aside, but it hard wit' Sole runnin' 'round. Knew my luck wouldn' last. Don' matter, I protect de girl wit' everyt'ing I got. She my life.

"Anna's worried about de new law. It pass soon, an' we can' lose Sole too. I agree t'let Anna go to Sage. I don' like it, but I want her t'feel she stand a chance at keepin' Sole safe. Most of de X-men return to dere love ones, even de Prof. We defenseless, our family startin' here. Logan stays wit' us. Sole start callin' him uncle. Dey become close.

"We run from our home, Soleanna never know we mutants. Can' protect her forever. We head south, close t'home, but not close enough to get caught. I won' let anyt'in' happen to any o'dem.

"Anna's power be a burden. She can' stand not touchin' our daughter. I tell her it be okay, we get out o'dis. Logan finally catch up wit' us. Says de destruction head our way. We be safe here fo' now.

"Sole was floatin' 'bove de bed dis mornin'. She scream so loud, t'ought de worst. She a mutant, like de rest of us. Time to teach her some control, while we can. She be fast, Logan spend time wit' her. Anna keeps fightin', worried. I can' let dem down.

"Soleanna got Anna's super strength an' invulnerability. Dat means dere be one power left o'hers left. De two of dem fight a lot, de fuse be short between dem. She de same as her _mere_, an' den she run t'me when she can' take it. Logan take her out for a few days, give us some time t'sort out.

"Been a few years. We got captured, taken in by de enemy. I failed to protect my family. Dey did lots of test with Sole and Anna. Can' say what happen t'Logan. He free us, den we run. I grab Sole, knowin' Anna will follow. De enemy be strong, de t'ree o'us fightin', while I keep Sole away from it. Anna looks at me den, I know what she t'ink. Whatever happen wit' de two, she take off, back in de direction we come. I knew de day would come, we always talk 'bout it. But I can' help but be surprised. I look t'Sole, her eyes directly at mine. I can see de pain formin', an' den she gone. She can' process Anna goin' Rogue, an' dere not'in' I can do for her. We fight, Logan once again coverin' our asses. I grab Sole, and we run. I watch her once we safe. I can sense de hate for Anna. She don' understand, too young right now. She sleep now, but we got t'keep movin'.

"Logan find us. Say he got a place dat safe. I don' trust it, an' neit'er does Sole. But if it true, be de best place fo' her. She still hate Anna, an' I wonder if she ever forgive. Dere be no way she can know about Lune jus' yet. It be to hard on 'er.

"We reach Forge's lab today. It be de only safe place left in de world. Haven' seen any o'de ot'er X-men, can' say what happen to dem. Some dead, some jus' disappear. While Sole's in bed, I check for news on Anna and Lune. No'tin' ever show up. It just us now, an' Logan. I can' never repay de debt I owe him. I fail as a husband and fat'er. My family torn apart, de good ride done. Now we live here, waitin' t'die. It's no life for Sole, she all I have now.

"Sole's rage only get worse. No matter how much I tell 'er dat she don' understand about Anna, she insis' dat de woman no good. Dere not'in' I can do 'bout it. Forge want her trained, but I don' want her t'fight. It be de last way I protect her. She just leave de room, makin' me promise dat I train her, or tell her de truth. Least if I train her, she be a master t'ief in stealth. I never wanted dat fo' her, but if it help, den I do whatever I can.

"Sole grow so much de past few years, hard t'believe. Forge has figured out a way to get out o'dis mess. He want to send Sole back in de past, t'stop dis from ever happenin'. I don' like it, but if she go back far enough, I know I be dere to take care o'her still. It won' be de same for her, I have no memory of everyt'in' she knows. But it be better, even if she don' come back.

"Dey goin' t'send her to a more quiet time. Anna and I wouldn' be toget'er, an' I don' know how Sole will handle it. De Professor be dere, I tell de girl everyt'in' she need to know 'bout de X-men before de time come.

"_Ma belle _Soleanna, y'come so far in y'life. Today you leave t'de past, to save us from dis life. I wish it didn' happen like dat, but dis Cajun be a fool for t'inkin' it all fine. You face many t'ings in y'life dat I couldn' save y'from. I miss your smile, haven' seen it since dat day we get captured. You grown so much, but it time t'face your destiny. All dat hate be in de wrong place. Y'should hate me for not bein' able t'give you de life you deserve. Your mot'er never wanted t'leave, but I told her if she could get back our son, your brot'er, den she should go. Forgive her, Sole, she love you always, like I do. You were always so patient, knowin' dis day would come. I wanted t'keep at least one promise I made to you, an' I wanted you to hear it come from me. I know you'll do whatever you need t'survive. I jus' hope y'can forgive me for all de wrong I put you t'rough. Take your time, don' rush, cause when you succeed, an' I know you will, not'in' will change from how t'ings are while you in de past. I make a lot o'mistakes in our lives, an' I only wish I could take it all back jus' t'see you smile again, _petite_.  
"Lune will follow you t'de past. I never tell you dat, an' I hope you learn dis before you find him, since I never tell you 'bout him before. De day before you leave, he find me, an' he want all our blood, not jus' one at a time. Help him, Sole, help him see dat we, your mot'er an' me, care 'bout him, dat we never give up. An' please, _belle_, please forgive your mot'er. If I know 'er, she be torn up t'know how much y'hate 'er, even if she don' know you. She have de biggest heart dis Cajun ever see, an' t'see it shattered makes me want t'cry.  
"Well, _petite_, dis is _au revoir_, for now. _Je t'aime ma belle fille, bien etre et devenir fort._"


	17. Now What?

As Remy finished reading what his future self had wrote to his daughter, he felt so incredibly guilty. He didn't like the sounds of his decisions, and his family had blindly trusted him with every move. Why? Why did he have to ruin everything good he ever touched? His own daughter, he wanted to give her the best chance, and yet, here she was, living her life the way she did because of him. Was this a warning from the future? Was he trying to tell himself how badly he'll fail? But what could he do about it. He looked at the girl, who hadn't moved since he had finished speaking. Everything she had known growing up was completely torn away from her.

"Sole?" he asked, hoping she would respond. Would she hate him now? "_Desole,_" he whispered to her. She rose slowly from his bed, and walked out of the room. Remy didn't know how she was feeling, she just had that hollow look in her eye. Was that what the note meant when it said she was gone? He wasn't quite sure he could deal with that. Sighing, he grabbed all the opened pieces of paper, rolling them up. He went to place them in the box when he noticed that there was another one there. Curiously, he grabbed it, unrolling it to read it.

_Remy, _

_Ah snuck in the lab to see Soleanna before she left to the past. Ah know you're goin' to read this, please don't be mad Ah didn't come see you. They changed meh, Remy, I neva got out until a year ago. They got somethin' in mah head, but Ah been fightin' it since Ah got out. Ah followed our son, Lune. He doesn't remember anythin' about us. He wants us dead, all of us. Ah been fightin' with him, tryin' to get him to listen. He took off after his sister, and Ah just hope you told her everything._

_Ah been watchin' you both, helpin' out where Ah can. It was wrong of us to keep so many things from our daughter, she deserved to know everything when it happened. We're both bad, and her life turned out so shitty because of it. Don't blame yourself, she'll clean up after us. _

_You were the best husband Ah could ever want. Soleanna couldn't have a better father. It's not you're fault that the world is against us, there was nothin' ye could do, any of us could do. She'll fix it, and we can all be togetha again._

_Now Ah know the way your Swamp Rat mind works. Ye won't find me even with Logan's nose. An' you can believe that if you do manage it, Ah'll kick your ass so far you go past the point you sent your daughter, understand, Cajun? Ah'm not kiddin' around either!_

_Ah love you always, Remy._

_-Anna Marie LeBeau._

...

Soleanna finally regained herself and realized she had wandered to the door of her room. She hadn't opened it, and she wondered how long she was standing there. It all seemed so surreal, all the information she had been waiting for. She couldn't be sure if she was really ready for it. There was no turning back at this point, she had to process it all now or stay in this nearly vegetative state.

"Find everything you need?" she heard Logan ask her. Her guard was down, and that was a bad sign.

"I suppose so," she replied, not really knowing what to say.

"Anything change?"

"I'm not quite sure yet."

He grunted, "That's life, darlin'. Come on, its high time me and you got a drink."

"I don't think my parents would like that."

"Gumbo ain't here. It's about time you took hold of your own life."

She looked at him then. He was right, he always was. Whenever she was troubled, her parent unable to help her, Logan always stepped in and pointed her in the direction she needed to go. She had never had a drink before, but she had done so many things here that were new, why not one more? She nodded at him, following him to the garage.

He got onto his bike, throwing her keys to the spare she had used before. As the garage door opened, they revved their engines, taking off into the night. Sole started to feel again as the air blew in her face. The faster she went, the further everything felt. Logan sped in front of her, leading her a lot further than she thought they would go.

...

Remy stared into the rising sun. He wasn't quite sure what his next move was. Should he go to Rogue? Everything was so different now, everything was going to change. What about Sole? What was she thinking? How was she feeling? The way she just walked out of here without saying anything worried him. But if she was anything like him, she would need time to process what was going on before she could decide what to do. Much like he was doing right now. It was time to do something about this life.

He saw the sun starting to rise, and he walked to Rogue's room. He didn't even bother to knock, just opened the door. He knew she was in there, no other place that she would be. She turned to look at him expectantly, and he finally made the effort to look at her. She was curious, who wouldn't be at this point? Staring into her face, her eyes, only made his decision so much harder.

"Remy, Ah-"

"Gambit leavin', _chere," _he cut her off. He didn't want her to convince him to stay, he wasn't sure he could handle that.

She was stunned, not really knowing what to think, "But why?"

"Dis t'ief do not'in' good for no one. Can' stay here if Gambit jus' mess up de lives o'de people he love. Y'don' deserve it, an' neit'er does Sole or Lune."

"What are ye talkin' 'bout?"

He smiled briefly, "Gambit loves you, _chere_. Make sure y'tell Sole dat as well," and then we walked out of her room.

"Remy..." she didn't want to see him go, especially now at a time like this. She had watched him go too many times, but for some reason, she knew that he wouldn't come back. She followed him out the door, but he was a master thief, and was gone instantly. Tears formed in her eyes, as she went straight to the Professor. Something had to be done, he couldn't leave now. What about Soleanna?

Rogue flew to the girl's room, ready to burst in. She stopped, however, knowing how the girl felt about her. Instead, she knocked lightly, hoping that Sole was awake. Waiting patiently, she heard no answer. She knocked again, not really knowing what to say. Finally, after getting no answer, she opened the door quietly, hoping that the girl wouldn't freak about her coming into her room. She saw nothing, no sign of her. Rogue sighed, walking into the room. She had never been inside before. It was so bare, nothing to show from it. She saw a note on the bed. She debated on reading it, but decided not to give the girl anymore reason to hate her. Flying out the open window, she searched the grounds for her daughter.

...

Soleanna didn't know how far they had come. She didn't care either, but after all of this riding, she needed a break. She was still partly human, the need to feed within her. She followed Logan to a dumpy looking bar. They parked their bikes, the sun just setting as they walked in. Sole had never been to a bar before, seeing as they didn't exist in her time. It was grungy, but she expected no less from the outside. Wasn't like she had to worry anyway, she could always sense any danger around her. She walked with Logan, sitting next to a stool at the bar. Logan ordered them a beer, as Sole observed her surroundings. She had seen people get drunk before, never actually knowing where the alcohol was coming from. Her first drink didn't taste all that great.

"Don't worry darlin', it grows on ya," said Logan, taking a big drink. Sole wasn't sure if she believed him, but she decided that with her mother's mutant powers, it wasn't like she could get drunk... right? She pondered that while taking another drink. It was a little better than time. Maybe her uncle was right.

By the beginning of the night, Sole was able to drink them down without a problem. She had at least four, and still wasn't able to feel a thing. That was, until she stood up. Her head was swimming, as if she couldn't see. She made her way carefully to the bathroom, not trusting herself to fly. She knew Logan was keeping his eye on her, and she didn't blame him. This wasn't exactly the most trustworthy place around, and she wasn't about to let her guard down. She made it back to her seat, taking a drink of yet another Logan had ordered for her.

"Sso this is what you do with my dad all the time?" she asked, finding it hard to sit still.

"Depends on the day. I can tell he never let you drink," said Logan, who appeared to have complete control of himself, and he had drank more than she did.

"You can't get drunk," she stated.

"Good eye, kid. Didn't think you could either."

"I know right! I totally thought that like.. whatever my mom did wouldn't let me, ya know?"

"Yeah sure."

"Logan, why does my life suck so much? I mean, why couldn't it just not happen that way?"

"Isn't that what you're here to stop?"

"Yeah but like, even if I do, I still have to live with all that pain, while everyone else won't remember the same things, ya know? I'm still ssstuck with all that depression, and like, they'll never know why... Not even you..."

"It's tough, and it only gets worse."

"Pfft, you always say that."

"What about it ain't true?"

"Well, isn't the point of me being here to make it better and not tough?"

"True, but you just said it ain't goin' to be easy on ya."

"Nothing ever is man, I've always gotta pick up everybody's slack. Why me?"

"No one else can, or else I'm sure I would have come back instead of you."

"I don't wanna think about this shit. Let's go."

"Whatever you want, darlin'."

"I just, I just need to do something first. Promise you won't get mad."

"Okay," Logan narrowed his eyes. Sole finished her drink, placing the bottle down and then turning to face him. She took a deep breath, and then touched his bare arm, looking as if she was in deep concentration. Logan's arm felt like it was on fire, he knew exactly what was going on. He was more in shock than anything. It didn't last long, however, as he looked back to the girl.

"Thanks, don't exactly want to drive drunk," she smiled at him.

"How long have you had that particular power?" he asked.

"Quite a number of years. I developed all my moms powers first, then some that she had in her head. You were the first one to know that I had my mom's original powers, aside from the side effects of Ms. Marvel. Obviously you were there when I got my dad's powers. Hopefully that's the last of it."

"You called her mom," he noted.

"Yes," she confirmed, smirking, "I suppose I did."

Logan nodded, barely feeling faint. He finished his own glass, and then followed her out of the dingy bar. The two of them started their engines, and she followed him at they rode off into the night together. Sole was happy it wasn't in the direction of the mansion. Wherever he was taking her, she was happy that he understood it couldn't be near her parents. It was just like old times, and that made Sole smile again.

...

thanks guys! love you!


	18. Broken

Rogue's search for her daughter was a miserable failure. It was even harder to watch her lover leave in the process of trying to find the girl. Rogue was now left with an even more divided family, and if she couldn't fix it before, there was no way she could do anything now. There was only one way she could think of when it came to getting Remy back, and that was Sole. But the girl had run off, just like her father. The similarities were so bizarre Rogue could never doubt that this child was hers. What happened to change everything? What scared them away?

She couldn't do anything here. She would need help finding them and that was going to be tough. The scent of Soleanna was a hard one to trace, considering how long she had already been gone. Rogue had no idea. Soleanna was her only chance at finding Remy, and bringing him back so that Rogue could have her family. She wasn't going to the let the people she loved walk out of her life, that was a fact. Besides, it would show her daughter that she cares, despite what may or may not have happened in the future.

Rogue landed on the ground thinking of her next move. She wandered to all the usual places Logan stayed around, but of course her luck wouldn't allow her to find him. She checked the garage, confirming that he was gone. She also noticed one of Remy's bikes was gone, the one that Soleanna was riding last time. This was more convenient. She could get Cerebro to track down Logan, which would lead her to Sole. From there, she could find Remy. Her mind made up, she went in search of the Professor.

"Professor! Ah need yer help!" exclaimed Rogue, bursting into the door of the war room.

"What is it Rogue?" he asked calmly. Scott, Jean, Forge and Ororo were there as well. It appeared they were having a serious discussion that Rogue had interrupted.

"Logan and Soleanna rode off somewhere and Remy's left the mansion possibly for good. Ah gotta find 'em."

"Calm down, Rogue. Why did they leave?" asked Jean.

"Ah don' know. Remy came to meh this mornin' sayin that he ruins everyone's life and the best thing would be t'leave. Ah had a fight with Sole last night and she's been gone for heck knows how long. Ah don' know what happened durin' the night to make 'em all crazy."

"And you have no idea where any of them went?" asked Scott.

"No," answered Rogue, looking at her feet. She held back her tears, knowing that they wouldn't make a difference right now, "All Ah know is, Logan and Soleanna are together, and Remy's off on his own."

"Did she take off before him?" asked Forge.

"Ah'm not sure. Ah think so, he did say to let Sole know he loves her..."

"Anything else?"

"There was a note on her bed, but Ah didn't read it."

"Perhaps it would be good to see if there is any clue as to where either of them had gone by reading it," said Xavier. Rogue nodded, taking off towards her daughter's room. She was going to figure this out, she had to. She wasn't going to lose her family without a fight, that was a fact. Xavier went to Cerebro, putting the device over his head and concentrating, "You're sure that she's with Logan?"

"Ah'm not exactly sure. But all there o'them are missin'."

"Maybe we should let them have some space, Rogue. The girl has been through a lot, and so have you and Gambit."

"To hell with that! This is mah family an' Ah won' sit by an' watch it fall apart!"

"It was already damaged. Perhaps the best course of action is to wait until they return."

"They ain't comin' back! Fuck it, Ah'll go find them mahself if Ah have to!"

"You've made your decision then?"

"Yeah, Ah have. Ah don' want them out there, Ah want mah answers."

Xavier nodded, "Go read the note on Soleanna's bed. Report back here if there's anymore information. I'll look for them with Cerebro. Unfortunately, I won't be able to find Gambit, but hopefully the girl can."

Rogue nodded, flying off in the direction of her daughter's room. She burst through the door, knowing that no one was there. She was worried, not wanting anything to happen to Remy or Sole. But for some reason, when she got into the bedroom she couldn't move. Rogue lived in fear her whole life, of having something happen because of her. This was out of her control, and she wasn't sure what to do at this point. Flying to the bed and picking up the note, she had to focus before she began to read:

_Sole,_

_I hope you can forgive this thief for ruining your life_

_I'm sorry it turned out this way, belle, I can't say that enough_

_The best thing I can do is not get involved_

_I love you, Sole_

_-R_

Rogue crumpled the note in frustration, throwing it away. It was completely useless, just the same things he had said to her. That definitely wasn't helping. Deciding that there was nothing more she could do here, she flew back to the war room, hoping the Professor had found someone that could help her track down the others. The students that crossed her path looked panicked to see her flying about so frantically, but she didn't care. She had to get her family back together before something bad happens. She could feel it in her bones, a feeling of dread that wouldn't go away since she had gotten back from her last mission with Logan.

When she got to the war room, Xavier was still hooked up to Cerebro. The mood of the room left Rogue unnerved, and she felt that speaking was probably not the best idea. She turned her attention to the screen, that was going through possible locations for Logan. She was hoping that her daughter was with him, or else it was going to be hard to find her and then Remy. Rogue released a breath she didn't know she held when the Cerebro finally confirmed Logan's location. He was on the move, heading West.

"I've locked onto Wolverine's location. He's confirmed that Soleanna is with him. I have not tried to contact her, and I cannot be sure where they are going," said Xavier.

"Ah'm goin'," declared Rogue, ready to burst to the hanger.

"Rogue wait! Take Storm and Jean with you. Lune is still out there, and with the three of you separated, it would be best to be prepared for any unexpected attacks," said Forge.

"Shouldn't I go too?" asked Scott.

"No, Scott, I'll need you here for now," answered the Professor.

Rogue had left at that point, Ororo and Jean hot on her heels. The three of them boarded the Blackbird, and took off in the direction of Logan and Sole. Xavier kept them updated on their location, and would continue to do so until the two mutants were found. Rogue sat worried the whole time, feeling like she could fly faster. Her desperation for answers was driving her insane, but she held it back, knowing that it would help no one to fret so much.

...

Remy had rode South at first, and then turned West. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he knew what he wanted. A place to live, far away from his loved ones, so he could no longer hurt them. The nights he spent drinking his troubles away wasn't exactly helping. Every time he tried to find a distraction with another girl, he just couldn't bring himself go to near one. Even when they came to him, he sent them away. He felt guilty, and couldn't do that to Rogue.

He hoped that he would get over it, and be able to move on. But if he couldn't and it meant living in misery, he was perfectly okay with that. It was the least he deserved after everything he had put his family through. He didn't know how long he had been gone, or which direction he was headed in now. He finally woke up when he had arrived at the house him and Rogue first had a normal relationship.

He sighed heavily. Had his subconscious led him there? But why? He knew leaving so abruptly probably wasn't the best of choices, but he didn't want to ruin anyone's life. He just couldn't live with the face that he already did. When Rachel had come back to the past for Jean, she felt as if her life was planned and she hated it. Remy was happy that his daughter had come and shown him how much he really hadn't changed. He was glad that he had another chance to at least do something right-for once.

The night was coming, and he wasn't sure if he should stay here one night and remember, or ride away forever. He decided to stay, at least he wouldn't have to pay. Walking in the door of the house, his heart dropped. It smelled of Rogue still, even though no one had been here for quite some time. He second guessed his decision to stay, but he couldn't bring himself to leave either. He missed her terribly, but he couldn't go near her. One night he could spend with the thought of her, the feeling that she was near, and then it was time to forget and move on. Nothing good was going to come of pursuing Rogue, he finally saw that.

Remy didn't like to give up, but life hadn't given him much of a choice. Deep down, he always felt that Rogue was it for him, but that dream shattered. Not he felt empty and alone, and it was the way he was supposed to feel. It was the life of a thief. No matter how many things you steal, it never fills the whole inside yourself. He sighed, going for his liquor. Good thing he kept a stash here.

"What you doin' here?" he asked the other mutant in the room.

"I knew it was a matter of time before you'd end up here, _dad_," said Lune, stepping out of the shadows.

"Y'come to kill Gambit?"

"I came to offer you a second chance."

"An' dat is?"

"Join me in my quest, and I'll forgive you for abandoning me."

Remy turned to face his son, "What quest dat be?"

"We need to remove Soleanna from this world. Without her, the world won't end up the way it is."

Remy laughed a little, "You t'ink Gambit will kill Sole?"

"It's either that or kill me before I do you."

"_Non_, Lune. Gambit may not know what happen, but it wasn' what you t'ink."

"You don't know anything."

"Gambit loves you. Stop dis and come back to de family."

"You left the family, and me to die. Both you and mother didn't care. I can't really blame Soleanna, not like she ever knew I existed. But still, why should she live the life that I deserve?"

"What happen wasn' fair to eit'er of you."

"You're right. Now, bring Rogue and Soleanna here so we can have a nice family reunion and work out our differences."

"Dat won' happen till y'can stop de hate, Lune."

"We'll see about that. While we've been sitting here talking, a friend of mine from the future already has his trap in place. You can't move in any direction, or else you'll be crushed by pure force. Now I ask you at this point, are you going to come quietly?"

"Do what y'want to me, Lune. But leave de ot'er two out of it."

"I agree to the first half of your statement. I was always a selective follower anyway. Now, let's go find Rogue and Soleanna so we can be one big happy family," said Lune, smiling maliciously at his father. Remy stared at his son, wondering the limits of this trap. He wasn't, however, willing to test it. If he had the chance to work this out, he would. Taking one last drink, he put his arms up in surrender, waiting for the next move.

...

thanks guys! love you!


	19. The Journey

Remy traveled with his son, a mutant he learned to be named Maddock, and Mystique. He couldn't be sure if the shape shifting mutant was the one calling the shots, or if it was his own son. He didn't try anything stupid, the unknown mutant not worth the risk. For the most part, he kept to himself, waiting, watching. He didn't get involved, but kept his ears open for their plans. Lune knew him well enough to know he needed to be watched all the time. The detailed information on Remy made him suspect he had the same for Sole and Rogue, and maybe the rest of the X-men. That wasn't good, but Remy was not going to lead them right to the front door.

He hadn't had a chance to talk to the kid, figure out what had happened to make him so angry. Surely the boy knew that they had tried to find him, never gave up completely? But whatever happened to him was messing with his head, and it was going to be hard to find a way to help him. The memories of the labs were locked away with Soleanna, and she wasn't even able to break her own barriers. But that didn't matter, he wasn't going to go near his family, lest he get them killed on top of everything he had already done to his daughter. He deserved this discomfort, that he couldn't forget.

"Lune, you're plan confuses me. If you wish to exterminate the problem, why not start with this one?" asked Maddock, pointing at Remy.

"I will, when I find the other two. I want them to see his death," answered Lune.

"Some people would call you a monster."

"People have done worse things to survive," said Mystique.

"How long until we find them?" asked Lune. They were driving, which appeared to be the fastest way for them to get around.

"I can't be sure. We're almost in the same state, and then we have to worry about the X mansion," answered Mystique.

"That won't be necessary. With him and Sole gone, Rogue will follow her daughter."

"You underestimate Xavier?"

"I know the woman. She's been trying for years with me, following me everywhere. Even if she's not as informed as the one I know, this one is no different."

"Why take out your parents?" asked Maddock.

"To ensure that the two of us can't be born. Remember that, Mystique. Rogue may be your daughter, but she kills you in an attempt to save her own life. I will not tolerate any failure."

"Of course," said Mystique. Remy narrowed his eyes at his lover's mother. This woman was only out for herself, she wondered why Lune insisted on her help. He must have had another purpose for her, or vise versa. Either way, he wasn't going to let anything happen to his family, that was for sure. There was at least one thing Lune didn't know about his own father. Remy was very skilled at getting out of anything that bound his hands. When their time to strike came, so would his.

...

"I've got a lock on Logan's mind. We're getting closer," said Jean, while Storm flew the Blackbird. Rogue hadn't said anything since they had boarded, was just eager to find her daughter. If Jean was able to find Logan without Cerebro, that meant that they would see them shortly. Rogue stood, standing to see out the window. They were in Oklahoma, heading towards California. Rogue wondered where Logan was taking her daughter, not really knowing their connection. She knew that he was there for her, that he cared for the girl, but she wasn't quite sure how deep it went.

They had ridden very far since they left, the two of them able to go for days. But no matter how fast Logan and Sole were, Remy was faster, and able to slip into the shadows much easier. Rogue only knew that too well, and was hoping that he was okay. She had a bad feeling, and it wouldn't go away. She had to make sure they were safe, and she wasn't about to let Remy wander around by himself. At least Sole was with Logan, he could smell danger from a long distance.

"I am getting something on the radar," said Storm, as she dropped altitude.

"It's them!" exclaimed Rogue. She rushed to the door, opening it and flying down. Storm flew with her, Jean taking over as pilot. It was dark, the moon shining brightly. Rogue and Storm flew after the only two bikes on the freeway, the Blackbird being used as a main beacon. The good thing about such a big plane is that its not hard to miss. Rogue saw the bikes slow down and then eventually stop. She flew as fast as she could to get to them, knowing that the faster the did this, the faster she could find Remy and work all this out.

She could see Logan staring at her, almost as if he was expecting her to be there. Rogue stopped when she was able to see Soleanna's eyes. They were no longer filled with hate and rage, but curiousity and something else Rogue couldn't figure out. What was it? What had changed? What this the reason she had left the mansion without telling anyone? Was that a bit of guilt? Why was she guilty? What the hell happened that night? No, that wasn't important right now. They had to find Remy, that was their main priority right now.

"Logan, thank goodness we have found you," said Storm, landing in front of the two. Rogue followed suited, trying not to be distracted in her daughter's eyes. They were the exact same as Remy's, and it only fueled her mission.

"What's going on?" asked Sole, looking at the darker woman.

"Gambit has left the mansion."

"Big deal, 'Ro, he leaves the mansion a lot," said Logan.

"He told meh he didn' wanna hurt the ones he loves an' that it was best if he wasn't in our lives," Rogue spoke up desperately. She looked down, avoiding her daughter's eyes. They were piercing, the girl very protective of her father.

"What a moron," she said, the last thing anyone expected out of her.

"I think it's time you talked about what happened the other night," said Logan.

"It's a really long story."

"Good, cause it'll take a long time to find the Cajun."

Sole nodded, grabbing Logan's arm and taking off into the air with the other mutants. She flew towards the Blackbird, going over in her head how to explain what happened. She knew that this was an overreaction, not what her father had intended when he wrote those letters to himself and her. She knew there was a reason he wanted his past self to see those, or else he would have left them in the box before she came here. What was he thinking? Wouldn't he have known that this was going to happen?

Truth be told, she wasn't even all that sure on how to find him. She knew that his mind couldn't be penetrated by a psychic, but he could be located. The problem was, her powers didn't go that far. The world was quite large and her mind wasn't capable of covering that much ground. She didn't even know what his patterns were like here, she was pretty useless. But Rogue had come to find her specifically, which meant that her mother didn't know how to find him either. This could be a huge problem for them.

All of them in the Blackbird, Jean took it up to a higher altitude. She idled there for a bit, since a destination hadn't been picked yet. They stood around, Sole getting something to drink. She hadn't eaten all day and at least needed a drink.

"Okay darlin'. Start talkin'," said Logan.

"Basically, I got the box open and it was just a bunch of letters from my father to me. He wrote them in French, so I had to get my dad here to read them to me. He blames himself for my life and how it all happened. How his bad decisions led to all of this. It's probably why he left, to make amends and fix it before it ever happened," she explained to the best of her knowledge.

"What did you say when you found all of this out?" asked Jean.

"Nothing, I didn't know what to say. Was kind of something I really had to think about, and at that moment, I just wanted to be alone."

"Why did you leave?" asked Rogue.

"Logan suggested we go out. I didn't think that was a bad idea."

"So you have no idea where he could have gone?"

"I didn't even know he left."

"We gotta find 'im!"

"Why not just give him some space? I'm sure he'll come back."

"What makes you so sure, kid?" asked Logan.

"Because he won't run away from this. He's too involved, he cares too much. Right now he's just feeling guilty. Take that away and then he'll realize that he has to come back. When he's left before, how long did he usually stay away?"

"Sometimes years. But he always came back at some point," answered Jean.

"Years? Yeah, I don't have that. I can locate him with my psychic powers, but that's about it. I won't be able to contact him or anything."

"You can locate him?"

"Well yeah, why didn't you?"

"Gambit has a mind that is unable to be cracked, even with Cerebro."

"I'm not talking about going into his head, I'm talking about finding him. You know, a psychic signature that every living thing carries?"

"I'm afraid my powers aren't as developed as yours."

"There's more to it. Because he's able to block psychic breach the only way to actually be able to find him the way I do is already connecting with his mind. I've done it before, when he was helping me with my powers. Ever since then, it's just... been in my head. I've always known where and how to find him."

"Is that even possible?" asked Rogue.

"Yes, it is. I have the same kind of connection with Scott," answered Jean.

"Were wastin' time. Kid, get on Cerebro and find Gumbo," instructed Logan, "Rogue, contact the mansion and try to find that other kid o'yours. 'Ro and Jean, search for any signs of Lune in or around the area."

"Why are you so intent on finding my brother?" asked Sole.

"Because kid, if Gumbo's out on his own, it's a good way to lure us out. That plan completely backfires if we find him first."

"How do you know he'll do that?"

"When I was trackin' 'im last week, he didn't attack us, didn't even come near us. There's two of use, easier for one to escape and help the other later. The kid knows us, and our limits. Gumbo is his best bet for an attack on you two."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that..." trailed Sole, taking out the portable Cerebro and linking with it. She had a feeling that this would happen that way, and was planning on doing everything she could to avoid it.

...

much love and thank you


	20. Mixed Emotions

Lune, Mystique, Maddock and the captured Remy stood in the desert of Nevada. It was dark out, and Remy didn't understand what the point of being out here was. Mystique had a hold on him, a gun digging into his back. What was her part in this? He knew that she wouldn't kill her own daughter, maybe that was it? The woman was as confusing as her daughter, but that wasn't the point. Remy had figured out that Maddock could sense other mutants around, which explained how he was able to find Remy. There were mutants on the way, and Remy was hoping that it wasn't the X-men. As he looked out into the sky, the stars shining brightly. He had a feeling that the Blackbird was going to land here any minute.

"You're sure it's here?" asked Mystique.

"They will arrive soon. They're tracking him," said Maddock, pointing at Remy.

"They'll most definitely arrive by air."

"What is your plan?"

"Very simple, old friend. We eliminate all of them. Once we get rid of my family, and whoever else might be with them, we leave back to our world," answered Lune. Remy noted he carried his mother's eyes, and they were full of amusement. Was this really a big game to him? Remy wanted to sigh, hating how he was virtually useless right now. He kept it to himself, however, not wanting to show any weakness. Screw it, he sighed, "Giving up, _dad_?"

"_Non,_ jus' bored o'dis stupidity," answered Remy.

"The games are about to begin. I would hope you start preparing your final words to your family before I kill you all."

"Why do dis, Lune?"

"To ensure that my world, my future, doesn't end up the way it does. We're all the cause of it. Rogue must be destroyed, her unstable power creates a mutant like Soleanna, and that is something we will all come to fear. You knew this, Rogue knew this, but you both foolishly fail to see the truth. She must be stopped before the government finds out about her. That's when the threat starts, that's when everything starts to go wrong."

"How you know dis?"

"Because that was why they kidnapped me in the first place! They thought because I was the male, I would get the power, but no, it was your precious little Sole. She must be stopped at all costs, and to ensure that she can't be born, I will kill you as well!"

Remy looked at his son, the anger in the boy's eyes. Maybe there was more he was keeping from his daughter, more that he didn't know. Here he thought all the answers were finally hers, but no. Here was his son, a new side of the the story, and one he couldn't be sure of. Maybe his story was true, and Remy was just trying to protect his children. Maybe it was something he was filled with, to ensure that the awful future happened? How would he know? Not like he could just hop a portal and go far enough into the future to figure it all out.

"There's two mutants behind us," said Maddock. Remy kept his expression neutral, not wanting to show emotion, good or bad. He knew Maddock could sense other mutants, but not who or what. It gave them a slight advantage, though Remy knew the X-men. He was just hoping that his daughter knew this mutant, and was able to work around that with the rest of the team.

"As I expected," said Lune, smiling maliciously.

...

"I'm getting something," said Sole, eyes closed and mind focused.

"Is it Remy?" asked Rogue.

"Yeah, but there's others with him. A sense hostility."

"Lune," said Logan, a snarl on his face, "An' not far behind 'im will be Mystique."

"There's four mutants total, one of them is my father, the other is Lune and Mystique," confirmed Sole.

"And the last one?" asked Jean.

"I... I can't exactly get a good look. Is there anyway we can get a visual?"

"Right here," said Ororo. Soleanna and the other looked on the screen. There they saw Lune, almost as if he could see them. Remy was there, Mystique right behind him. Sole gasped when she saw the other mutant. It meant that there was no surprise attack, no sneaking up on them. Maddock probably already knew that they were there, and if he was working for Lune it was going to be a very dangerous situation.

"Who's that?" asked Rogue.

"Maddock," answered Sole.

"You know that mutant?" asked Logan.

"He's from my world. He can sense mutants from a wide radius, and has full control of electrons. He's a force to be reckoned with."

"You tangle with him before?"

"Now's not the time to get into it. Long story. They already know where here, just from his power alone."

"It's that strong?" asked Jean.

"I can't be sure, it's been some time since I've seen him. They'll expect us to sneak up behind him. Maddock can only sense mutants, he won't be able to tell who's who. It doesn't matter how sneaky we are, he'll know we're there."

"So basically, attack," said Logan.

"It's the only thing we can do," Sole had no choice but to agree with Logan. But there had to be more than just running in there all berserk. She shook her head no, trying to find a way not to endanger her father anymore than he already was. They were already close enough, jumping in was an expectation. Sole looked at those around her, trying to think, "They'll expect an attack fro behind. So let's not disappoint. Jean and Storm, you be that assault. Jean, see if Mystique has any weapons, and take them away. Wolverine, you attack like you would. And you," she turned to Rogue, "You hover until Wolverine needs help. When Jean has disarmed Mystique, we'll move in. Be very careful with Maddock, he can control the electricity in the body. Don't give him a reason to kill."

"When did you become team leader?" asked Logan.

"When no one else knew what to do," she smirked. Sole watched them go and execute her plan. She was just hoping it was enough to make a difference.

...

"There's a mutant above us, and one heading near," said Maddock.

"Typical. Stupid people making stupid decisions. Take care of it," said Lune. Remy watched, seeing Wolverine run towards them. Were they really going to do as the enemy expected? Or was there something more to this?

"Hey ugly! Give back the Cajun!" called Wolverine, going for Lune. Maddock raised an arm and sent the mutant away.

"Y'all gotta learn how to play nice," said Rogue, hitting Maddock. Lune was about to attack, but Wolverine wasn't letting that happen.

"You picked the wrong people to mess with, bub," said Wolverine, attacking Lune off guard.

"You are all fools if you think that I can be beaten!" declared Lune, unleashing a forceful attack on Wolverine. Remy finally made his move, swiftly reaching behind him and filling Mystique's gun with kinetic energy. He dove out of the way before the explosion, and looked around for the next attack. He was about to blow up the bounds on his hands when they mysteriously unhooked themselves. He smiled in thanks towards Jean, who had joined the fight. He took some cards out of his trench, throwing them towards Mystique to subdue her.

Storm was flying, the wind and rain with her. She wasn't using lightning, which was probably a smart move. It was five on three, good odds for a battle. Gambit threw some cards at Maddock, the three mutants lacking any team work. The Danger Room was to thank for their advantage. They were doing well, that was, until Maddock released a burst of power that no one had expected, sending them all away. They could hear Lune laughing once they had gotten up, but it was short lived. Soleanna had entered the fight.

She flew at Maddock, Lune's attack going right through her. Maddock was trying to use his powers on her, but her invulnerability fought through it. She grabbed his arm, holding onto his skin while Lune's attacks weren't getting fired another gun at her, but one look from Sole and the woman was out. Lune was getting furious, while Maddock had fallen to the ground. Sole smiled, her eyes full of mischief as she harnessed Maddock's powers to attack Lune. The mutant as completely thrown off guard, stumbling as he was forced to the ground. The others had gathered by then, keeping their guards up in case the other two were going to get up.

_"_How long have you had that power?" Lune breathed as Sole stood before him.

"It's been so long I can't remember. As for you..." she trailed, touching her brother's face. She tried to move, but Sole's control of Maddock's power made it impossible. Soleanna held onto her brother, his life force becoming hers. When he had finally become unconscious, she let go, sighing heavily. The others were staring at her, mostly in curiousity. All, that is, except Logan, who had already known about this.

"You..." Rogue trailed, unable to speak the words.

"Your eyes, _petite_," said Remy. She looked confused, wondering what he was talking about.

"They look exactly like your mother's, kid," said Logan. Sole was shocked to hear such a thing. It was the way her eyes originally were. Maybe it was Lune's powers through her? She ignored the protesting memories of her brother, not wanting them to affect her work right now. She looked at her brother, noting how he almost looked innocent like that. His memories were strong in her head, but her psychic ability helped her push them aside.

"We'll have to take them all back to the mansion," said Jean.

"That is right. If we can figure this out, we may have a chance at stopping whatever it is that they are trying to do," agreed Ororo.

"Dat be my cue t'leave," said Remy, bowing and turning his back.

"I don't think so," said Sole. The sound of her voice made Remy stop in his tracks. He turned, looking into the eyes of his daughter, that now resembled her mother's.

"Y'don' understand, _petite_. If Gambit stays, he give you a bad life."

"You're so stupid. If you leave and never get together with her, I'm never born. I'd rather have a shitty life than it taken away cause you're feeling sorry for yourself."

"Not your choice."

"I think it is!"

"Remy, you can't leave! Ah need ye in mah life, and so does Sole and Lune," said Rogue.

"Gambit need you, _chere, _but it ain't worth de risk."

"Have you not been listening to anything I'm saying? I want the future to be better, to have a better life, not to be taken out of the equation. This is the most selfish decision you've ever made!"

"But it be mine, _belle__._"

"Not entirely. You would rather me die?"

"_Non_."

"Then come back and do whatever it is you do and make it so that my life is not taken away!"

Remy sighed. There was no arguing with the two of them. They both had the power to take him back forcefully. Rogue may not, but Sole, she was unpredictable. Her eyes were angry and scared. She wanted to live, who wouldn't? Maybe she was right. If they could figure it all out, then she could have the life he wanted to give her. Nodding to the pressure of the two of them, he boarded the Blackbird with the rest of the team.

Soleanna was happy that she had gotten her way. She was still pushing back her brother's memories, waiting until she got back before discussing it with the rest of the X-men. They were so strong she was having trouble, but they would be back before she knew it. There was something trying to get at her, something that wanted her attention pretty badly. The feeling of it made her feel terrible, like she should be angry. She noticed her parents keeping an eye on her. She knew Rogue wanted to speak with her, but wisely chose to wait. With her brother inside her head, who knew what would come out of her mouth.

...

thanks guys!


	21. Memories

Soleanna sat in the Blackbird with the unconscious prisoners. While they slept, she used her powers to keep them that way. An internal attack was not a good idea. Her eyes had returned to normal, all powers not belonging to her gone. Her brother's voice had faded for now, but that wasn't important. Rogue was staring at her, and Sole wanted to know why. There was no reason for her to do that, now wasn't the time to talk.

"How did ye do it?" asked Rogue.

Sole looked at her confused, "Do what?"

"How were ye able to control that power?"

"You mean your original power?" clarified Sole, not expecting that to be the topic of discussion. Rogue nodded eagerly. Sole narrowed her eyes in thought at her mother. Had she never known how to do it? Sole knew that she lost her powers, but surely the woman would have figured something out, "I'm sorry, the answer you're looking for isn't with me. I've always been able to control it."

Rogue's face fell, all hope dying, "Ah understand."

"Not really. I have more than just that power. I'm sure the psychic powers have something to do with it," Sole reassured. She was probably right about that, but no one would know for sure.

"Y'seem t'get along better," observed Remy.

"If you're goal was to make you a common enemy, you failed," said Sole coldly. Remy winced at her tone. She was obviously mad about his departure, and he wasn't sure how to handle something like that. He thought that he hating him would be easier, cause she wouldn't bother to find him, but he was wrong. It stung him to know he had upset her.

"Y'did de same t'ing Sole. Ye ran."

"I took a temporary leave of absence, I was coming back. You were leaving for good, without saying anything to anyone."

"I left you a note."

"Typical. You always run away from your problems. What the hell are you running from now?"

"Ruinin' y'life."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Running away isn't going to give me a life at all. That what you want?"

"_Non._"

"No matter how much you argue that what you're doing is right, know that it's wrong," said Sole, putting her hand to her forehead.

"Y'alright sugah?" asked Rogue.

"Lune's voice is annoying. Been a while since I've had to do something like that."

"Do they stay with you too?"

"They fade eventually, and then I don't hear them anymore."

"Mah head is crowded. Hasn't been just me in there for a while."

"I don't know what to tell you."

Remy watched them interact. It was very strained, the two of them closed off. Soleanna was going through old memories of her mother, trying to piece it all together, while Rogue was meeting her daughter for the first time. They had never spoken civilized like this for a long time, usually it would explode by now. Remy wasn't sure if they had spoken since Sole had heard those notes. At least something good came out of it, even if he's left feeling like shit.

"Where you take her?" Remy asked Logan, who came to stand beside the Cajun.

"Wherever the the open road took us. Nowhere specific," replied Logan, staring at the two mutants interacting.

"She forgive Rogue?"

"Looks like it. Misplaced anger from what I can understand. She ain't mad at either of you, but it'll be tough to work things out. Kid's got more problems than you think, an' hatin' you or Rogue is at the bottom of the list."

Remy nodded, feeling better about the whole situation.

...

Sole collapsed on her bed, the feeling of it better than she expected. It seemed that she was gone for so long, debriefing taking forever. Lune and the others were in a very secured place, escape more than impossible. Using her mind to keep them unconscious took a lot out of her. So much so that the voice of her brother was back. He was laughing at her, pointing out how weak she was. She ignored him, doing what she could do silence him. She was tapped out, she needed rest.

In her dream she saw her world, destruction and chaos everywhere. She was traveling, but no where that she had recognized. This wasn't her memory, this belonged to her brother. He was searching for someone, someone she did not know. It wasn't going to be easy, but he was fully intent on completing his mission. The mutant was hard to come by, but he was confident in his ability. He did, however, encounter someone he didn't want to see.

"How long must you follow me?" he asked into the open air.

"Until ye come to yer senses," said Rogue, landing in front of him. She looked so much different, older.

"I came to my senses a lot time ago."

"Listen to yer momma Lune. We didn't jus' leave you. We searched for years!"

"Obviously not well enough. Just because you feel guilty now doesn't mean you have to care. I forgive you, now go away."

"Now why is it Ah don' believe ye?"

"Cause you're fucking stupid. The sooner you understand that I'm not interested, the sooner we can stop this shit and you can die peacefully."

"Ah won' quit. Doesn't that prove that Ah care more than you think?"

"No, just proves you don't want to die with a guilty conscious."

"If ye hate meh so much, y'can juts kill meh."

"Not worth it. I'd rather have a nice family reunion first, then you can all die by my hand."

"Sure are stubborn, like yer father."

"You are all dead to me. Just wait until I find them, I'll kill you last since you have annoyed me the most."

...

Sole saw the labs she had once been captured in before. But she was still inside a memory that belonged to her brother. He was so young, barely able to walk. It was around the time he was captured. Sole watched curiously through her brother's eyes. The people around him were dressed in lab coats, the lights so bright it was hard to make out the faces.

They didn't talk to him, but she could feel his fear. He was strapped to a table, looking around like the scared little boy he was. He didn't feel pain, despite being hooked up to a lot of things he didn't know. Sole recognized this. She was sure it was the same treatment she got when she was captured. Keeping her own memories at bay, she watched as Lune was injected with all kinds of strange fluids. The memory didn't last long, he was put out easily.

Lune's memories took her further, calling attention to the labs once more. He was older here, actually able to focus on the current events. He was watching footage of the X-men. Every single one he was studying. Sole never knew such detailed video existed. Not even the mansion had this. But it was in the future, so things were much different here, more information to acquire.

"My parents were X-men?" questioned Lune.

"That's right," answered a man that stood beside him.

"They seem to be fighting for good reasons."

"You parents are nothing but thieves. Your father is the king of thieves, and your mother is even worse. She teals the very essence of anything that lives."

"That's why they didn't come for me..."

"That's right, Lune. They never cared about you, that's why we took you from them."

"What about my sister?"

"Don't worry, Lune. When we get a chance, we'll get her for you."

Lune felt better to hear that. Sole was confused. Lune was so bent on killing her, but here he showed concern for her. He cared about her at some point, and something had happened to change that. What was it? What did they do to him?

She was whisked away from the scene, another memory pushing its way through. She was back in the labs, only a different room. Lune was older, eyes fixed on the sight before him. Sole gasped, seeing herself strapped onto a table. She was unconscious, and much younger. She didn't see any more of her family. Lune began to walk towards the room, opening the door and walking up to his sister.

"What's your name?" asked the man standing over her.

"S-Soleanna," she replied weakly.

"The daughter of Remy and Anna?"

"Yes."

"Are you a mutant?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you asking her all these questions?" asked Lune.

"To make sure our medicine is working."

"Is she sick?"

"Sort of. We're trying to remove the damage your parents did to her."

"They hurt her?"

"Not exactly. When you're older, you'll understand."

But Lune wanted to know what was going on. She looked like she was in pain. Were they hurting her? No, they only wanted to help. They saved him, and now they were finally saving her, like they promised all those years ago. He smiled. He was going to have his sister back.

...

Soleanna woke up in her own bed. Her brother was echoing inside her mind, but she was able to push it aside. HE was starting to fade anyway. His memories woudl stay with her until she blocked them out. Sitting up, she noticed it was day light out. How long had she slept? It didn't matter.

She got up, going straight down to where the prisoners were being held. It was such a dark and gloomy place, but Sole was on a mission. She saw Bobby Drake keeping watch over them. He was standing beside Lune's, him being the most dangerous. She smiled slightly at him, going straight to where Maddock was. Sole stood in front of his cell, staring in curiosity. He was blindfolded, that being the only way he couldn't use his powers properly.

"My dear Maddock. What has he done to you? Don't you remember me?" Sole asked. He cocked his head to listen.

"I remember I came her for something to do with you. Lune explained it, were here to stop you from ruining the future," replied Maddock.

Sole closed her eyes, going into Maddocks mind. The two of them stood, facing each other. Her eyes were soft as she looked at him, placing a hand on his face gently. He looked confused, and a little scared. He remembered the last time she touched him.

"You really don't remember me..." she trailed.

"I... I lost my memory when I came here."

"I know. And now my brother is using you against me."

"I do believe he wants the future different, I just don't know if its good or bad."

"I can't be sure. Without me here, I can't stop it. How did you get back?"

"I snuck into the lab and used the time machine."

Sole smiled, "My father would be vexed to know that. He wasn't always your biggest fan."

"I don't care. I had to do something. Why would your father care about what I'm doing anyway?"

Sole looked down, hurt that he didn't have any memory of her. It was a shame, one that she wished didn't occur, "He cares because of how you are with me."

"What do you mean, Sole?"

Sole looked into his eyes. They were so curious, and a little afraid. She smiled, his basic instinct telling him to trust her. That was a start at least. She pulled him closer and kissed him deeply.


	22. A Chance

Maddock pulled Soleanna closer to him, holding her in a gentle way. Kissing her made more sense than anything else in the world, and he missed it. Sole couldn't be happier that he appeared to remember her. She missed him, their connection much deeper than she could ever realize. They had kissed before, but she never knew how far his feelings truly ran for her. He was so gentle, even in his mind. They pulled apart and he stared into her eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek.

"I remember," he spoke softly, "I love you, Sole."

She smiled, "I love you." She took them out of his mind. Standing back in the mansion, she walked up to the key pad that kept the door locked. It had numbers, and the numbers themselves scanned the finger prints. Only certain X-men had access to this, and she knew that she was one of them.

"Gambit don' t'ink dat smart, _petite_," said Remy, walking up to where she stood.

"It's okay, we can trust him," replied Sole.

"We don' even know who he is."

"His name is Maddock. He can sense mutants and control electricity. He's from my future, and came back to this point in time to help me."

"Den why he help Lune kidnap me?"

"I didn't set the time machine properly. Forge makes some things more complicated than they need to be. The side effect I suffered was memory loss. Lune found me before I could reach Sole, so I helped him thinking that's why I came here. I had no idea what was going on, but always this sense that it was wrong. Once I saw Sole, I really began to doubt what was going on, the story I was told, which is why I kept to myself since I got here," explained Maddock.

"An' now y'remember. How convenient," said Remy, narrowing his eyes. This had bullshit written all over it, and Sole was eating it up. He thought he had trained her better than that. Who could honestly protect their daughter from love anyway? It was bound to happen at some point in her life. He just wished that she picked a less hectic time to start something so complicated.

"I trust him," said Sole.

"'Course. Dere some t'ings 'bout love y'need to learn, _petite_. It-"

"Spare me, I already know what you're going to say.'

"Just cause y'can trust 'im, don' mean Gambit can."

"You don't understand!"

"Den explain."

"I..." she looked down, unable to face him, "I never told you, but for the past year... I've been close with Maddock. I fell in love at some point, he's been there ever since we came to Forge's lab. He was there for me when you couldn't be, and doesn't judge, and..." she looked at him, seeing his eyes despite the blindfold, "I know his feelings are true... real..."

Remy sighed, the situation now being more complicated, "Why you never mention 'im?"

"I'm so used to keeping this secret from you. Every time Maddock spoke to me, you went all crazy. I'm a psychic, remember? I could tell if there was a reason not to trust him. He can be a big help around here, and my mission."

Remy didn't say anything. She did have a point, her mutant power would be able to see through all lies. Perhaps he should trust her, since she could see a lot better. He walked past her, typing in the code to the cell door. He watched her eyes light up, before practically running to Maddock. She removed his bindings and blindfold all too eagerly. Remy didn't doubt anymore when he saw the way Maddock looked at Sole. It expressed the way Remy himself felt about Rogue. He would follow that woman to the ends of the Earth and back, just as Moddock would do for Soleanna. She was lucky she had someone care about her like that. He understood that he was over protective of his daughter, but perhaps he didn't see in the future was he does now.

Smiling slightly, he walked away, leaving the two to their own devices. He had to trust his daughter, and he was sure she wouldn't do anything inappropriate. He went up to Rogue's room, opening the door without even bothering to knock. She was sitting by her window, looking out into the sky. He watched her, that picture taking place in his memory. She was so gorgeous, and deadly to the touch.

"Ah hope next time you waltz in here y'shower first," said Rogue, turning to look at him.

"_Chere_, a woman after dis t'iefs heart," replied Remy.

"Gotta have a heart for meh to be after it."

"Y'always know how t'make Gambit feel good."

She smiled, "Ah'm happy yer Cajun ass is here. Didn' wanna have t'hurt it draggin' it back."

He grinned, making his way over to her. He sat across from her, taking her gloved hand and placing a kiss on it, "Our lil' Sole is in love."

Her eyes widened, "What in the world...?"

"Turns out Maddock be more importan' den we t'ought."

"Ah thought he was with Lune?"

"Memory loss."

"Wait a minute! You bought that sap story?" she looked angry, ready to bold down there and put a stop to this. Remy put a hand on her arm, knowing that it couldn't keep her in place. It would at least get her to focus on him for the few seconds he had to explain.

"She a psychic, _chere_. If dere be a reason not t'trust 'im, Sole would know."

"Ah don' know, Remy..."

"She smart, take care o'herself. 'Sides, y't'ink she want us buttin' in her life?"

"Ah guess yer right. Ah jus' hope she doesn' get hurt."

"We be dere if it happen, _chere_."

"Lucky gal t'find a man in a time like hers," said Rogue, looking out into the clouds.

"You have a man, Rogue."

"What good is it if Ah can't touch ye, Remy?"

"We find a way, _chere_. In de future, dere be a way. How else we have _les enfants__?"_

_"_Ah... Ah know that it does happen but... Ah'm scared. Ah don' want ye t'end up like Cody..."

"_Ne vous inquietez pas, ma cherie_. We take it at your speed, you in control. Gambit won' make y'do anyt'in' you don' want, but all dis t'ief ask for is a chance. Dat all Gambit eva ask, Rogue."

She bit her lip in thought. He reached a hand out to her, and she looked into his eyes. He was sincere, that much she could tell. She knew that he wouldn't force her into anything, he had always been good to her. Always looked out for her. Maybe he did deserve a chance, a real one. To hell with the past and how it worked out. They were older now, and he had proven himself more than once. She smiled, taking his hand. He brought it to his lips, planting a kiss there gently. She closed the gap, leaning her head on his shoulder, and staring back out into the sky.

...

Soleanna walked the little bit to the cell where her brother was being held. Bobby looked at her curiously, wondering what she was up to. He then looked at Maddock, eyes a little hard. Despite seeing Remy down here, he just couldn't be sure of people he was told were the enemy. There was some confusion he was sure, and he wasn't apart of it all, but he had to follow his own orders. Looking into the eyes he only ever knew as Remy's, he saw that the girl was quite emotional. He hadn't read up on the new reports yet, so he wasn't too sure on what was going on.

"I'd... like to speak to me brother," said Sole.

"I can't let you in there. Prof doesn't want to run the risk of him getting out," replied Bobby.

"I understand," her face fell a little.

"Look, I know you got some telepathy in you. I can't let you in, but you could always just do it that way. No one ever told me I wasn't allowed to do that," he smiled at her.

She nodded, leaving the area. Maddock was right behind her, not speaking a word. They traveled up to her room, closing the door behind them. Sole was happy that she didn't run into any of the younger kids on the way. She didn't want to explain why randomly she had left and come back and all that other stuff. Kids were quite nosy, and she was a very personal mutant. Sole collapsed on her bed, Maddock sat modestly on the edge of the bed. Sole looked at him, into his eyes. They were that same clear blue, making him look so innocent.

She pulled him down on the bed, enjoying the actual ability to be close to him. They never had time for this in their world. It was always a crisis, always something else to do. She wanted to take advantage of how quiet it was here, and actually enjoy what people used to. She had never been able to just sit and do nothing, however.

"When are you going to talk to Lune?" asked Maddock.

"Soon. I still can't believe you followed me here," replied Sole.

"I told you that night, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."

"You wouldn't remember if I succeeded or died."

"I don't care. I don't want to think about a life without you."

"You don't have to. If something happened to me, or either of my parents, your memories would be altered, you wouldn't have to go through that pain."

"Don't talk like that, Sole. I know you're capable of better thoughts. I remember when you first came to Forge's lab. You were young and very hurt, never once spoke of good things. After a while, you finally told me of the better parts of your life. I miss that."

"I can't keep living in the past to make all of you happy."

"You seem to have forgiven your mother."

"There was nothing to forgive in the first place. Just a huge misunderstanding."

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"No. My father explained it all."

"So she didn't leave you then."

"She did, but not because she was selfish. She was trying to find my brother."

"I saw your mother before I came here."

"You did?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"She told me to tell you that she loves you, and that she's sorry for hurting you."

Sole closed her eyes. So much pain between them, she wished she could just hug her mother and tell her it was all okay. Even after being angry for so long, some part of her missed her mother. They had spent a lot of time together, despite the bickering. They were alike in a lot of ways, but that didn't matter. Both of her parents were so used to keeping secrets that it was probably the reason Sole never really talked about anything. She trusted her parents, and for the longest time, her father. But now all the hatred and anger was gone. The pain wouldn't go away, not until she reconciled with her. Or maybe it would take longer, she couldn't be sure.

"I suppose I can't do anything about it until I get back..."

"When do we go back?"

"When I can be sure that the threat here of what caused all the bullshit is fixed. Once that happens we can head home, and hopefully to a home like this."

"Better than this, no struggle at all."

"There will always be struggle, just gotta find peace within it."

"You're changed, Sole."

"Perhaps."

"No, you really have. This place has changed you, and I like it."

"You were just saying about how I'm always miserable."

"I misjudged."

"You do that a lot lately."

"That wasn't my fault."

Sole laughed, "Actually it was."

Maddock smiled, kissing her. Her eyes were showing an actual emotion, something he had never seen before. He was happy that she came here in the end, learned the things she needed to know and found herself again. She was going to change the world, he had always known that from the moment he met her. He didn't think it would be this literally, that she would travel back in time to do it. But at least he was there with her, was able to look after her.

"You should speak with Lune. The longer you wait, the more time he has to plot."

"Yeah. Will you be with me?"

He kissed her, "Always, Soleanna."


	23. Sibling Rivalry

"What is you want, dear sister?" asked Lune in the depth of his mind. Soleanna had contacted him while Maddock was still awake. The two of them stood in front of her brother, Sole ready to pull out of necessary.

"I want to talk," she replied in a neutral tone.

"I see you two have made up."

"That is not your concern."

"My concerns are mine alone."

"Can't you just cooperate?"

"Why? You locked me in a cell, you won, now leave me alone."

"You're my brother, my twin, there is no leaving you alone."

"I have no family."

"You cared about me once."

"You've been living in my memories have you?"

"Kind of hard not to when they push their way to me."

"That was before I found out the truth about you and the my so called parents."

"What happened? Why did you change?"

"I told you, I found out he truth."

"And what might that be?"

"That you are all idiots, only out for yourselves."

"That's not true."

"You stuck by Gambit for personal gain. You knew that the longer you hung around him, the more likely it was that you would get his powers, it was the same with Rogue. Now you're doing it to Maddock."

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you ever wonder why you stopped developing random powers when you stopped being around Rogue? Why the powers that weren't her own stopped manifesting inside you? You're a thief, just like them. Then, you were with Gambit more often and then you magically got his powers?"

"That's such a lie! I spent a lot of time with Logan and don't have his powers!"

"Because you're invulnerable already from Rogue. The need for a healing factor doesn't exist with you. And now, the longer you stay with Maddock, the more you'll develop his powers to sense other mutants and control electrons. You're a mutant thief!"

"I am not! I developed those powers because they're my parents!"

"You stupid girl, did you not even know that your power is to steal?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You powers are like Rogue's, the ability to take energy. The difference is, once you make an emotional connection, you drain their power until it becomes yours, rather than skin to skin contact. Your victims never notice that they're feeding you, and you of course end up the victor."

"How do you know this?"

"Our genetics are some of the most fascinating the whole world. We have a mother, who is able to harness any power she comes into contact with, one who steals energy. Then we have a father, that is able to create pure energy. On top of that, they got together, creating us, a mixture of those two powers. It was completely unpredictable as to what would happen, that's why they came for us. They only needed one of us, and then the other much later. Good thing they picked the right kid, I'd hate to see what you would be like, a thief of energy."

"You really buy into this shit?"

"I used them to get my powers and then I left. I released Wolverine onto them, it was a good distraction. I never thought you would escape, but stranger things have happened. Then Rogue started following me."

"Why won't you listen?" she groaned, wishing that he could just see the real truth."

"Listen to what? How you all really care and that what those idiots in the lab said was a lie? I heard them all before, not very convincing."

"How can you sit there and say that we don't care? Are you seriously that fucking stupid?"

"It's you who are stupid! Don't you see? We need to die!"

"I thought it was just the three of us?"

"Well, when I kill Rogue and Gambit, I of course, will cease to exist. But I'm okay with that. I don't want to live my life knowing that no matter what, I'm alone. That there will never be peace so long as our genetics exist. Don't you see? I'm trying to save the world, trying to make it so that no one has to go through any kind of misery."

"The people around us will be miserable."

"You would try to keep them alive, so you can leach off their powers."

"That's not true."

"That's what Gambit, Wolverine and Forge had in mind when they sent you back to this time. They wanted you in this place so that you could take all the powers and use you to rid the world of humans."

"We're all humans you idiot!"

"In our future, the only non mutants are the ones in the labs. Exterminate them, then there is only mutants left. Once that happens, then its survival of the fittest. If you have every power of the X-men, then no one stands a chance against you. That was the point of you coming back here, to gain power in order for them to prevail. You're just a tool, like I used to be."

"So you do still care about me."

He smirked, "Nice try, but I care for nothing anymore. I didn't grow up with fake love like you did."

"Our parents love us, Lune. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll stop being miserable. You may not have psychic powers like I do, but you don't need them to see what they really feel," and with those words, she left his mind. She flew to the window, opening it and lighting a smoke. Maddock's face was disapproving, but he didn't speak a word. There was a lot to take in with that conversation, things that Sole had never known before. He didn't need to talk, she would when she was ready.

"What if he's right?" she mused out loud.

"What do you mean?" questioned Maddock.

"What if the two of us are really the cause of all this shit? He's not wrong about our parents' mutation."

"Even if he is right, you can easily find a way to stop it."

"How? Stay here until were born? Wouldn't that fuck shit up even worse?"

"Maybe, it's not like you two will know exactly who you are. Maybe find the ones that plotted against you now, and put a stop to it before it even has a chance to be thought of."

"Why can't Lune think that way?"

"Because he spent his whole life away from you guys. No one showed up when he thought they would, he was really young. There's only so much you can do. No need to beat yourself up about something that was completely out of your control."

"Easy for you to say, he isn't your brother."

"True, but my statement still stands."

"Of course it does, makes too much sense not to."

"Then at least pretend you're not beating yourself up about it."

"I'm not really, just don't understand. Why didn't anyone tell me that my power was stealing through emotional connection?"

"That might not even be true. You're not a thief, and neither are your parents."

"Dude, have you met my father? He's the king of thieves down South."

Maddock laughed, "I forgot about that."

Soleanna sighed, throwing away her cigarette. She didn't know what she was going to do now. It all made too much sense, Lune's words. She didn't believe the crock about stealing the powers of the X-men. She purposely chose not to get close to them, not wanting to build a connection and then have to leave. She had to get back to her time, she was worried about her parents, her uncle. What were they doing? Were things changing there?

"Do you think with every minute I spend here, things are changing back home?"

"Some things changed, subtle, but overall, they were the same. So yeah, things are changing the more time you spend here."

"Is that a good thing do you think?"

"Who's to say it is or isn't? The end result is all that matters."

"What if I find the cause of why our world ended up the way it did, and then I go back and nothing has changed. What if, something else happens after the first thing, and so on?"

"I don't deal in 'what ifs', Soleanna."

"Lame. I just wish-" She was interrupted by a knock at the door, "Hello?"

The door opened, Rogue peeking her head through, "Sorry tah interrupt, sugah. But yer friend can't stay in yer room. Mansion rules," said Rogue.

"He already slept here during the day."

"Ah hate to be this way, but Ah can' let him stay. Prof ain't happy 'bout it either."

"It's because I'm still a minor in this world, isn't it?"

"'Fraid so, _petite_," said Remy, opening the door.

"You two seem quite friendly," noted Sole, raising a brow.

"Don' Gambit know it," he smiled, waggling his eyebrows at Rogue. She shoved him lightly, moving out of Maddock's way. Remy watched him walk down the hall, and then turn around knowing that he had not been assigned a room. Remy walked up to him, ready to find the farthest room away from Sole possible. Rogue stayed where she was, smiling, and then looking back to her daughter.

"He seems nice when he ain't ready to hurt ye," commented Rogue.

"He's a really good person. That's why I wanted to put him down quietly."

"How come ye never mentioned 'im before?"

"I didn't want people treating him differently. I didn't know what he was doing with Lune, and I didn't want to get into it while we had a main focus. It was easier to treat him like an enemy instead of trying to figure it all out. For all I knew, he really had turned against me."

Rogue nodded, looking down. She didn't know how to say this, "Look Sole, Ah-"

"Don't bother. Just try to forget everything I said, you didn't do the things that happened in my past, you're not the one that needs to reconcile with me. I can do that with you when I go home," she put on a smile for her.

"Either way, Ah'm sorry. Ah hope we can get to know each other soon before y'all leave."

"No matter how well you know me, it will NOT prepare you for parenthood."

Rogue smirked, "Can' know till ye try."

Soleanna smiled for real this time. She flew over and hugged her mother for the first time in years. Rogue was stunned, not used to someone being so close to her. She kept in in her mind that this was her daughter who had forgiven her, it was okay to be close. Rogue was careful not to touch the girl's skin. She may have control of her powers, but Rogue most definitely did not. It wasn't a very long hug, but it had lots of meaning to it. Sole wiped away a tear that formed in her mother's eye. Rogue gasped just then, not feeling her powers come out when Sole had touched her.

"What in the world...?"


	24. One Step Back

"What in the world...?"

Rogue stared at her daughter in complete disbelief. They had touched, made skin to skin contact, and nothing happened. There were only two people she knew of that made it possible for Rogue, but she never expected her daughter was immune to her powers. Soleanna didn't look all that surprised, kind of assuming that it would happen that way. Besides, if she felt Rogue's powers coming to her, then she was sure she would be able to stop it.

Rogue was still stunned, but had to be sure it was really happening. She took off her glove, and reached out to her daughter's face. Sole didn't flinch or shy away. She wasn't even scared, and that made Rogue more nervous. Rogue's hand was cold compared to her daughter's cheek. But again, nothing happened. No pull, nothing. Rogue's eyes widened, not really knowing what to do with herself.

"It's because we have the same power," Sole offered, knowing that she wanted an explanation.

"Yeah... Ah've just... neva had that happen all that much..."

"I know, its frustrating. I mean, I'll never understand how much harder it is for you, but no physical contact can be hard when its all around you."

Rogue nodded, turning to leave. Sole watched her go, then closed the door and went to her bed. There were so many things going through her head, and Rogue's new found discovery was the complete last of Sole's worries. She had to make sense of everything her brother had said to her, figure out what was going on. Lune wouldn't give her anymore information, he had already said too much. She was also very suspicious of how easy it was to catch him in the first place. It was almost as if he wanted to be caught, wanted to be brought to the mansion.

But if what he was saying was true, then Soleanna had just helped him bring the people he wanted most together. This was the safest but most dangerous place to keep him. She'd need more help with this, another psychic with much more experience than her. Sole only feared unleashing the memories she had kept locked away, having this nagging feeling that they would be the answer to all the new questions she had regarding her family. It may also help her discover the nature of her own powers. She couldn't let Lune's words get to her, but she had to do something to silence her mind once and for all. The more she knew about her powers, the better she would be able to control them.

...

"Professor," Soleanna spoke to the bald man in the wheel chair. He had called a select few of the team down to the war room to speak. The two were joined by Maddock, Rogue, Remy, Logan, Ororo, Hank, Scott, Emma, and Jean, "I have some information about Lune."

"I gave strict orders that you were not to speak with him," said Xavier.

"I know, I did it anyway. But you would have already known that I was going to."

"Very well. What have you figured out?"

"He wants the same thing as I do, to change our world for the better. The problem is, he's going about it the wrong way. The mutant powers of our parents is what scares the government in the first place, which is why they took Lune and then hunted the rest of the family down. The problem with his story is that there are parts missing, and parts he could easily alter. His powers are mostly from the labs, and he has full control of them."

"So where does that leave us?" asked Scott.

"I need help breaking my psychic blocks on what happened in the labs. If I can get the details of what happened, there might be a chance to figure out more of what happened and why. I'm obviously too far back to put a stop to anything, and waiting around here for it to happen isn't going to work for me. I need to know the truth about what Lune said before I even think about going on with my mission."

"Y'sure ye want dat, _petite_?" asked Remy, knowing she blocked out those memories for a reason.

"I don't, but at this point, I don't see that I have a choice. Another thing that's bothering me is how easy it was to capture Lune. He wants to be here and I don't know why. It'd be best to keep more eyes on him, disable his powers if need be."

"Understood," said Xavier.

...

It took a very long time to break down the barriers. Four powerful psychics and it still managed to take the better part of the night. They had started to crumble, and finally, they were gone completely. Sole stood with Jean, Emma and Xavier, ready to face her demons. She felt strange, but ready for the first time since it had all happened. She watched as her family was captured, and then her memories jumped straight to the first time she was conscious.

A young Soleanna lied strapped to a bed, as well as her mother, father, and uncle. They didn't pay too much attention to the men, they focused mainly on Rogue and Sole. They took blood, injected them with all kinds of strange things, all the while discovering more and more about the nature of her powers. Soleanna could easily see on the screen that everything Lune said was only half true. While her powers did manifest based on her emotional connection, she had no control over them. It also stated that she was born with every power she inherited, just a matter of them rising to the surface. She knew better than to believe all of his words, but she couldn't be sure either.

There was more to what he told her, stuff that she knew not to believe but had doubts about. Like the that there was more to just stopping the disaster that caused the chaotic world in the first place. Every time she discovered one thing, it always raised so many more questions. As she watched her uncle burst through the doors and them make their great escape, she couldn't help but feel that there was more missing to this scene. She watched as her younger self was about to die, and then her mother fled the scene. She saw the look on her father's face as her mother left.

What surprised her about watching this was that she didn't feel the same about it. The look on his face was different to her now that she knew the truth, and she didn't feel angry at all, just sad. Her parents had really tried, really sacrificed their own happiness together in order to save their kids. She didn't want to doubt the truth she knew, but so many things had changed that she had to be sure. She was going to make her world a better place, but without the necessary information, she wouldn't be able to.

She went back to the beginning of the memory, this time alone. She really watched, trying to make sure that she didn't miss anything. There was nothing here. All this time, all the fear of reliving this, and it was for nothing. Perhaps it was only painful when she thought about Rogue. But now that was gone, therefore, there was no need to fear this memory anymore. She sighed, bringing herself out of her mind.

"Find anything?" asked Scott.

"Nothing really useful. Has Forge come up with anything since we last spoke?"

Xavier shook his head, "No, nothing yet."

Soleanna sighed again. That meant she wasn't getting anymore answers. How was she supposed to complete her mission with all of these other issues coming into play? It was stupid how secretive everyone was, she wouldn't have this problem if they just told her everything in the beginning. But there was only one way to do that.

"I need to go back home," said Sole, not really looking at anyone.

"You sure, kid?" asked Logan.

She nodded, "Too many things have changed since I came here. I believe that I'll get all the answers I need in order to continue my mission."

He nodded, "I'll go to. Be nice to see what I'm trying to stop."

"Y'ain't goin' alone, sugah," said Rogue.

"Sound like a party Gambit can' miss," said Remy.

"I shall go to," said Ororo.

"Jean, you will assist them," said Xavier.

"Understood Professor," replied Jean.

"You're all not thinking clearly about this," Maddock piped in. They looked at the mutant in question, "You're blindly jumping into a place and time in which some of you may not exist and most of you do. Think about where you are going and what you will see. It's the future, your future, and that also means that there is a chance that you will run into your future self. You have to think about whether or not you can handle it."

"He's right. It's different for us to come back here, this is a world we already knew about," added Sole.

"Gambit tell ya before, Sole, ain' no way he goin' t'let somet'ing happen t'ye," said Remy.

"How are you going to get everyone back to your own time?" asked Hank.

"I have a theory, but I'm not sure if it will work. If it doesn't, it will only be myself and Maddock returning. Forge will get us back, that I'm sure of," replied Sole.

"When will we be departing?" asked Ororo.

"As soon as possible."

...

They were gathered outside on the grounds, waiting for Soleanna to arrive. They didn't know what to expect, not really sure what the girl was going to do to get them back to her time. No one spoke, they were all thinking about the journey they were about to embark upon. None of them had an idea of what the future was going to be like, other than what Sole told them.

After what seemed like hours, the young mutant landed near them, gaining all of their attention. She was holding something in her hand, something that they couldn't see. They watched as she placed the object in her pocket, and then looked at them.

"For a circle around me," she instructed.

Jean, Ororo, Logan, Remy, Rogue and Maddock did as they were told. Xavier, Emma, Scott and Hank stayed on the outside, observing. Sole concentrated on herself first, and then the small pearl she kept on her person. She could feel the advanced power flowing through it. She used her own telepathic powers to enhance it, stretching it in the radius of the circle around her. She really hoped this would work.

When she felt that the power was stable, she destroyed the pearl, knowing that it would at least send her back to her time. She could feel herself going through the rifts, not really remembering it the first time. She couldn't tell if the others were with her, unable to open her eyes.

Her head exploded and she felt the ground under her feet. She could smell destruction around her, meaning that she was back. She opened her eyes, looking into her grey filled and murky sky. Oh yeah, this was the home she knew.

"_Merde_..." she heard her father. She looked, noting that the others had arrived with her. She flew up into the air, not too high, but enough to figure out where she was. They were far from the lab, but at least she wasn't alone.

"Is this really our future?" asked Jean.

"Ah don' believe it..." trailed Rogue.

"All this despair..." said Ororo.

"Well kid, what do we do now?" asked Logan. That, was a very good question.

...

hello and thank you for joining me yet again! i finally have a working computer charger and internet, let's hope my block goes away and we can continue this adventure. love you all!


	25. Uneasy Silence

"Forge, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," said Xavier. He was sitting in his office, knowing that the mutant was on his way. The only reason Forge would come back, is to give any kind of information that he had regarding the task given to him by Soleanna. But they had left a few days ago, and Xavier wasn't sure when they were coming back. He was confident that they would, but knowing when and being unable to communicate with them would make that hard.

"I have some information on Project Paradise I thought you might be interested in," replied Forge, standing next to Hank.

"Soleanna has returned to her own time period for now. I cannot be sure as to when she will be back."

"It's just as well, I don't think the girl will be happy to hear what I have to say."

...

"This place... it's so... so..." Jean trailed, unable to find the words.

"Miserable," Sole offered, landing back on the ground with them. The red head looked at the young girl sadly, "Don't worry, it won't grow on you."

"How far are we from the lab?" asked Maddock.

"Quite far, assuming its still there."

"So what are we waitin' for?" asked Logan, unsheathing his claws.

Soleanna turned her back on them and led the way towards Forge's lab. If she was right about where she was, there would be a place to rest for the night and then they could keep going. From there she was going to use her speed to take them all with her. For now, they could walk, just to make sure there wasn't anything in the area. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle using her speed with this many people, but she had an idea. So far one of her theory's had worked, let's hope she would be two for two.

"Ah can' believe this is how ya grew up," said Rogue, hating everything she saw in this world. This was her future?

Remy was silent, observing. The guilt he felt about ruining the life of his family hung heavy on his heart. This place smelled of death, the sun wouldn't shine. What happened to cause all of this? He was barely aware of where he was going, just too busy in his thoughts. He just couldn't believe that this was his future, this was where his daughter came from. What happened here?

"This abandoned shack is where we stayed when we first got out of the labs. We're far enough away that we won't get caught by anyone," explained Sole, not wanting to go upstairs.

She didn't even think she could sleep knowing that she was out in the open and not safe in Forge's lab. She hadn't felt this in a while, unsafe. She was excited to see her father and uncle though, was hoping that they weren't dead. She didn't know how she'd feel if they were, but she had to keep in mind that she was going to change everything, that it wouldn't last. That didn't mean it was easy to deal with. She sighed quietly to herself, going back to her unemotional self. It showed her how much she changed while she was away.

"How ya holdin' up kid?" asked Logan.

"I've been better as of late," she replied, that same tone.

"Back to yer old self I see."

"Don't want any unexpected surprises."

"What sort of things did ya have in mind?"

"The usual, robots that try to capture you and take you back to the labs so that they can perform all kinds of experiments to understand the way the mutants function, how to get the powers and either further enhance them or take them away and infuse them into the remaining non mutant humans."

"Sounds like a party."

"When this first started, their target was just mutants, but they captured all the humans as well. I haven't seen a human my whole life, but I know that they keep them in a prison cell with the mutants."

"How do you know that if you never left the labs."

"My brother's memory. He did some wandering when he was younger, was hard on him when they no longer needed to do anymore tests. He got bored and got into things that he shouldn't have. They treated him like a friend, like they really cared, that's probably why his mind is so warped when it comes to saving the world."

"Interesting way to look at it. What are ya goin' to do about it?"

"Stop him of course."

"Have you figured out how yer goin' to do that?"

"I might not have to if he can be contained and I complete my mission."

"You told me at the bar that if things change, you'll have all your memories. Be the same for him so long as he's in the past."

"Maybe he'll stop this once he sees the changes."

"Take it from me kid, years of wanting vengeance on everyone that hurt you doesn't fade away. People like that don't change."

"You want me to kill him."

"I'm warning you that you might have to."

"Why are you telling me this and not my parents?"

"Rogue don't have the heart an' neither does Gumbo, but for different reasons."

"You think that I can kill my own brother..."

"Lookin' 'round here tells me that you can. Had you grown up differently, ya wouldn't stand a chance."

"And what about you?"

He sighed, sounding more like a grunt, "It's all about opportunity, kid. Things can get worse than they are. In a fight, I may not have the chance to end his life, it might be up to you."

"You really haven't changed, you know that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always look out for me, pick up the slack when my parents can't do it. I doubt they've even thought about having to kill Lune."

"I'm sure it's crossed your mind from time to time."

"Once. But it was only while we were fighting."

"Think harder about it, kid."

"Logan, you should not scare children," said Ororo, smiling as she walked over to them. He grunted, walking away.

"Something on your mind?" asked Sole. The weather witch had never come and talked to her on any other occasion, so there was obviously a reason she was here now.

"I noticed a change in you since we have arrived here," the white haired woman replied.

"You have a gift for seeing through people."

"Hard habit not to learn in a place like this."

"I suppose you are right. I was curious as to my fate in this world."

"I honestly don't know. My uncle told me that before everything started to go haywire, some of the other X-men went to be with their loved ones. He did tell me about you though, that you flew back to Kenya to be with your family. He always spoke highly of you."

"I could be dead or still alive."

"Yeah. I've never really been out of the country, but I know that it's the same no matter where you go."

"I understand. I am sorry that I was not able to be around in your life. I feel I would have had much to teach you. If not, at least keep your mother in line."

"Nothing to apologize for. You have your own family, I have mine. It doesn't mean anything that you wanted to be with your loved ones, wanted to protect them. It's the same with mine, only different results."

"You parents, whether they are here or in our past, will always be proud of the strong girl you have become."

Sole didn't really know what to say to that. She had only heard of Storm, never had she had a chance to see or talk to her. But even while she was sitting here from another world, Sole felt as if she knew Ororo all her life. It was strange how things worked like that. It only motivated her to change this world that she knew. She wanted to get to know the woman, and everyone else she had only heard of. There was a way, and she was hoping that it didn't involve killing her own brother. She supposed she would know when the time came.

...

"Professor," said Kitty timidly, not wanting to disturb him. He was on Cerebro, looking for something, and Kitty knew all to well that you shouldn't disturb anyone when they were hooked up to it.

"What is it, Kitty?" asked Xavier.

"Um, well, the prisoners have escaped."

"What?"

"Yeah. Beast is going over the tapes, but we're sure that Mystique got them out."

"Thank you, Kitty, I'll be there at once."

...

Nobody could tell if it was morning, but it didn't really make a difference to Sole. She didn't sleep, stayed up most of the night processing her idea. There was more to her not sleeping, she wanted to make sure that they were safe. She didn't know how much time had passed since she had been here, and she wanted to make sure that this place was as secluded as she remembered.

"Think maybe it's about time we get moving?" asked Maddock.

Soleanna nodded, standing from her place. She walked to where the others were, "I don't want to spend more time out here. I want to get to Forge's lab tonight if we can."

"How far are we?" asked Jean.

"Far enough that if we went normally it would take a few more days."

"How are ya goin' ta get us all there tonight then?" asked Rogue.

"If my idea works, with you."

Rogue looked shocked to hear that. What could the girl mean?

"Take off your glove," Sole instructed. Rogue did as she was told, curious and nervous as the same time. The young mutant took her hand and focused on the super speed she had inherited. Sole had never been on the other side of this before, so she had no idea what to expect. It made her sick to know that this is what she put people through whenever she did this. She rarely used her mother's original power, and this was probably why.

"Try running really fast," Sole finished. When Rogue managed to leave and come back swiftly, Sole smiled. It worked, "Alright, we're going to fly really fast. Follow me and don't get side tracked by anything."

Rogue nodded, taking hold of Remy and Ororo. Soleanna took Logan, Jean and Maddock. They took off into the air, Rogue able to keep up with her daughter. That was a good sign, they would hopefully make it by the end of the night.


	26. Unexpected Surprise

The flight was going smoothly. It made Sole nervous, usually they would have run into something by now. Had things changed so much that they were worse? What if the lab was destroyed while she was gone? Or worse, what if it wasn't there at all? She wouldn't be able to get her answers then, she'd be stuck in the same place she was in now, nowhere closer to completing her mission. If the lab wasn't there, it would be harder to find her father, uncle and Forge, she'd be completely screwed.

She knew things were going too well, she could sense danger around her. She stopped, in her tracks, Rogue as well. They lowered to the ground, Sole letting go of the others and then hovering above them slightly.

"What is it, _petite?_" asked Remy.

"Sentinels," she spoke, "headed this way."

"We've tangled with sentinels before," said Logan.

"Not like this," said Maddock.

"Something like this should be easy for you with your kind of power," said Jean.

"Doesn't do so well when there's too many."

"How bad are they?" asked Ororo.

"We've been able to manage them, but some have been known to take casualties. They'll try to capture us, when it becomes too much, they'll just try for the kill," replied Sole.

"Ya make it sound awful easy," Rogue noted.

"Your about to find out," said Sole, rising into the air and heading off the first attack.

The rest of them took action, ready for anything. They were badly outnumbered, but it was something Sole and Maddock were used to. Sole took out quite a few of them, all the while trying to keep an eye on the others. They were fairing well, but obviously had no idea what they were doing. These were new enemies in a new territory, and Sole was sure that the danger room had nothing like this. She was happy they were there though. Between her and Maddock, there was no way they stood a chance against all of these.

It appeared that they had finished with their attack, which was useful since Sole was running out of time getting to the lab. She'd be lucky if she made it by nightfall now.

"Too bad, I was just starting to have fun," said Wolverine. Sole rolled her eyes, keeping her position in the air. Same old Wolverine, didn't matter what time period it was or where he was from, he was the same. It was the only sense of permanence in her life.

"Look out!" warned Storm.

A light began to shine behind Wolverine, a red one, indicating an attack. They weren't fast enough, even with Sole's super speed. Miraculously, it fired just above they heads, the attack missing them completely. Sole's breath caught in her throat at their saviour.

"Y'all outta be careful where ya leave some thangs," said her mother, throwing away the hand that contained a gun from one of the dismantled sentinels, "Cut off a wolf's head an' it still bites."

"What in the world...?" Rogue's eyes were in complete disbelief. She was looking at herself, an older and different looking self.

"What's wrong, sugah? Seen a ghost?" Sole's mother smirked at her past self.

The others appeared to be in as much shock as the rest of them, but who knew exactly how Rogue was feeling about the whole situation. Sole's mother just stood there smirking at them all. While the Rogue of the past wore green, this one had much longer hair and wore nothing but black. It was usual around here, a way to blend in and not get caught. But that was the only real difference between the two Rogues.

"Soleanna..." her mother's emerald eyes finally fell on her daughter.

Sole bit her lip, afraid to face her mother. It has been years since she had seen her, years since she had ever expected to see her at all. The last time Sole ever thought about seeing her mother, she thought about killing her where she stood. So many things have changed since then, and now Sole had no idea what to do, what she was supposed to do. It was different being in the past and around Rogue, they seemed so different from each other. But deep down Sole knew that were the same, acted the same. Sole wasn't raised by the past Rogue though, so they acted differently towards each other. Would it be like this when she found her father? Sole finally looked up at her mother, noting that there were tears in her eyes. Sole could feel tears wanting to start in her own eyes, but she wasn't going to let it happen. She didn't even know why she wanted to cry.

"Ah can' believe how much ya've grown," she spoke again, trying to figure out the next move. Sole was stuck in place, completely at a loss of thought.

"I..." Sole barely made a sound, unable to speak. What was she supposed to do?

"Ah don' blame ya fer bein' mad, Sole. Ah jus' hope that ya can forgive meh afta all this nasty trouble is gone."

"Go on, _petite,_" her father spoke low enough that only she could hear it.

"I... I don't... I..." Sole finally let her tears fall, flying to her mother and being engulfed in a tight hug.

The young girl cried with her mom, both of them feeling pain at being separated for so long. All the hatred and pain amounted to nothing, because in the end, she missed her mother more than anything at this moment. The past had softened her, but Sole didn't think it was a terrible thing. She still had her ability to fight, but at least she could feel emotions again. It was what her father would have wanted, and it only made things better to know that her mother was actually alive. No one had seen her since the labs, no one knew her fate. Sole never thought about it, but knowing that she was dead would hurt her greatly, and she was happy that she didn't have to go through that kind of pain.

"Ah'm so sorry Ah left ya," her mom told her.

"Just, never mind all of that," said Sole, regaining her composure, and standing in front of her mother, "Is Forge's lab still intact?"

"Ah haven't been 'round there for some tahme, but its get harder ta fahnd. That boy Forge's got one smart mind. They been beefin' up defenses since Ah was there last."

"Everyone still alive?"

"Far as Ah know."

"Why haven't you gone back?"

"Ah..." she looked down at her feet. She sighed, "Took meh a year 'fore Ah got outta those nasty labs. They changed meh, filled all kinds of nasty stuff in mah head. Ah have moments where Ah'm huntin' down other mutants Ah come across. Forge's lab is a jackpot, an' our last hope. Ah don' want ta risk it."

"You realize once he finds out that you're alive, he's going to come and find you."

"Ya can't tell 'im!"

"I can't keep it from him either. He's been miserable ever since you left."

"It ain't easy on eitha of us. But Ah won' risk his life."

"You'll do what you think is right, and so will I. Besides, you already know I've been sent back to the past since you haven't questioned the current company I'm keeping."

"Ah been keepin' tabs on y'all since Ah got out."

"I expected no less."

"What are y'all doin' here anyway?"

"Lune followed me back to the past to put a stop to this shit around us. Told me a few things that I need to confirm here."

"Y'know 'bout Lune?'

"Kind of hard not to when he's trying to kill me."

"Ah hope y'ain't doubtin' us, sugah."

"Not exactly. But my whole life, everyone around me hasn't told everything. I'm putting a stop to that right now."

"Then yer best bet would be ta find yer daddy. Ah'll take ya t'Forge, close 'nough that Ah won' get noticed."

"That would be extremely helpful."

"Take us a few days though..."

"Nope. I found a way around that," said Sole, smiling.

...

He sat in his chair on top of a tall building. The blackbird was behind him, this meeting being very important. Xavier waited patiently with Hank and Scott, Kitty staying inside. Xavier didn't need the other X-men, but they insisted. With Lune back on the loose, things were incredibly unpredictable, no one was safe and no one knew his next move. They were hoping the other would have been back by now, what was taking them so long?

"Magneto," Xavier acknowledged his old friend."

"Charles, it has been too long," said Eric, landing in front of the X-men.

"Why have you joined forces with Lune?"

"You are playing with things you do not understand. I will not let my fellow mutants become extinct."

"Follow this child and you are only ensuring his future."

"You have always been blind to the real course of events. Lune's goal is to kill his family, which will stop only part of his chaotic world. Once I help destroy it, I will have Project Paradise."

"Do you not know the nature of it? What they plan to do?"

"That will only come to be if it stays with the humans!"

"No, old friend. You are simply a puppet, a tool they can use as an example to carry out their plans for slavery."

"We are going in circles. Stay out of my way, Charles, if you know what is good for you."

"Magneto wait!"

...

It took them longer to reach the labs than Sole expected. But at least they were there in what she could only perceive was daytime. They were still quite a bit away, but her mother insisted upon it. She didn't want to get to close, and Sole understood her reasoning for it. This meant that they would separate, but at least Sole would find a way for them all to be together again. Sole turned to her mother sadly, knowing that this would be the last time they would see each other for a while. It was amazing how so many things had changed over the years.

"Neva forget that yer momma loves ya, Sole," she told her, hugging her daughter.

"I won't," said Sole.

Her mom nodded at her and then flew away. Sole watched her for a short time, and then turned to lead the other towards the labs. They had to be careful, lots of traps set up around here. It was no good flying, Forge accounted for every kind of situation. At least it was still there, she didn't want to think of what would happen if it wasn't. No one really spoke, and it was starting to get dark. That meant that Sole was further than she thought, and that she was behind her schedule. There would be no point in stopping for the night with the lab so close.

As they got closer, Sole wasn't even sure of the things she wanted. What if there really wasn't anymore information? Then she had wasted her time coming here, time she could have been using to complete her mission. Her father had always told her that she would have the answers in that box, but it didn't help her now that Lune had raised more questions. It wasn't as simple as asking him either, he would just lie. She knew better than to get into his head, but she didn't know how much she could find out just from this trip alone.

She knew that they wouldn't find a direct door. There were only two ways to get in, and they were completely hidden. If Sole had never been there before, she would never even know that a lab existed. She was sure that Forge had to know she was there by now, considering most of his traps had been disabled. He was smart, and she was hoping that he would figure it was someone they trusted as opposed to an enemy. But in this world, Sole wasn't sure if he would know. She did know that that someone would be out soon.

"Ain' dis _un_ pleasant surprise."

Turns out, it was sooner than she thought.


	27. Reunion

alrighty, just so we know, i'll have gambit as the past and remy as the future, wolverine as past and logan as future, just so that we don't get confused

...

Soleanna didn't hesitate when she saw her father. She literally flew into him, feeling safe in one of his hugs. It had been so long since she had seen him. When she left, she was hoping that the world would have been better the next time she saw him. But she wasn't going to complain, she missed him a lot. He was still so tall compared to her, still smelled of musk and cigarettes, still the same. It calmed her, made her feel like home again. He smiled down at her, keeping his hands on her shoulders, Sole willing the tears to stay away.

"You late, _petite_," he smirked.

She humphed with a small smile, "I didn't know you'd be expecting me."

"_Mon Dieu! _Dat be a smile, _non_?"

Her smile grew a little wider, a slight pinkish hue reaching her cheeks, "Maybe."

"Dis t'ief happy t'see it," he replied, kissing her forehead, "Miss you, _belle_."

"I didn't want to leave in the first place."

Gambit watched his future self and daughter interact, finally understanding how close they were. He loved his daughter the minute she was born, and Gambit may not have shared that experience, but he felt no different that his future self. He knew it was probably the same with Lune, even though Gambit's experience with Lune was much different. From what it sounded like, Soleanna had changed since she had come to the past. Gambit hoped that some of his influenced helped that. Even if he didn't understand the full sequence of her life, just looking around told him how dark and sad it was. He understood that there was more to changing this world by sending her to the past.

"Ain't this a pleasant surprise," said Logan.

Wolverine glared at future self, not knowing what to think. Soleanna hugged him as well, missing her uncle just as much. They were her family, her whole life. Wolverine had cared for many people, a few children, but with Sole, it was a little different. She knew him on a different level, and he was staring it in the face. He wasn't even sure how the girl had managed to get under his skin, but at least he understood now why she deferred to him so much. They weren't much for affection, and no words were spoken as they were all lead into Forge's lab.

It was about as bleak as the rest of the world, but there was an obvious feeling of security around it. Sole walked with her father, noticing that he stared at Rogue the entire time. She saw his face fall when he saw her, knowing that she wasn't his that he was looking at. Sole decided that the conversation about how they got here could wait until after they had gotten some food and rest for the night. They walked to the kitchen-well, what could only be perceived as a kitchen in this world. There wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Sole wished she had the power to create out of nothing. No one really spoke, what was there to say? It was an awkward situation they were in.

Once everyone had eaten, Logan took the others to their rooms. Sole walked with her father to his room, knowing that her old one still existed. But she wanted to spend time with him, had to talk to him about some of the things that couldn't wait. She hated that she would have to go back, and that he wouldn't go with her. But she understood, even though it didn't make things any easier. Why was life to unfair? But it wasn't like she could really do anything about it, not yet anyway.

"Why you come back?" asked Remy. It wasn't like he didn't miss her, but he definitely wasn't expecting to see her again.

"If you said I was late, you have to have some idea as to why I'm here," she replied, looking at her feet as she sat on his bed.

"Lune."

She nodded, "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

He sighed, mimicking her actions, "Some t'ings hard to talk 'bout, _petite_. Don' know how we'd explain it."

"It's not even just that, you never told me anything."

"You open de box?"

"I did. Well, I got you to do it for me. Wasn't too impressed that it was all in French, but I know you did that on purpose."

"_Oui_."

"Which can only lead me to believe that everything you wrote was for me. I'm going to assume that you knew of my arrival back before I was born, that everything that happened now you were warned about by someone, maybe even myself. You knew that you were gong to send me back to the past long before I was even born, didn't you?"

He couldn't tell if she was looking at him, didn't want to risk it. He couldn't face her with all the guilt, all the pain he had caused her. She was completely right, and even after he was warned about all of this, he still managed to fuck it all up anyway. Only there was a different threat back then, something else to cause this chaotic world. But wouldn't anyone in his position thing that it was all okay?

"Sole, t'ink 'bout what y'would say if ya knew all o'dis 'fore you left."

"I'd probably think you were fucking insane."

"Dat's right, _petite_. Ain' no way any o'us could tell ye 'fore we send you back."

"Then why did you seem so surprised when everything happened up until the accident with Lune?"

He shrugged, "When you come back t'change de world 'fore y'were born, t'ings different den. We hear de new law, an' t'ink it all okay. Den dey take yer brot'er, an' dis t'ief still too stupid t'know dat somet'ing still go wrong. But y'never come back, _petite_. We try an' raise you different, but y'turn out de same. Don' matter, don' change anyt'ing how y'are. We didn' want dis life for ye. An' y'never mention anyt'ing 'bout yer brot'er. He come outta nowhere."

"So I came back around the same time that you send me back, things obviously changed since I would have mentioned a brother, but the world still turned out like shit. Since I never came back, Forge may have been dead, or anyone else. What if I fix the problem in the past, but then nothing changes? The same thing happens?"

"Last time, we stop Magneto an' de Brot'erhood. Dis time, _petite_, it be yer own brot'er. T'ings change."

"Logan told me before we got here that I might have to kill him."

"He right, _belle_."

"You're okay with that?"

"_Non. _But t'ink o'it dis way. Dat Lune would be de same, all de bad memories. If he die an' you come back, he still be here, only with de life we always wanted for ye."

"So he wouldn't really die in that case. I suppose I feel a little better about that. I don't really know how I'm going to stop him."

"Y'figure it out, _non_?"

"I suppose I'll have to."

"Ye can do it, Sole. Yer _mere_ and me be proud."

"She's still alive you know."

"_Quoi?_"

Soleanna nodded, "She guided us here, said she got out of the labs about a year after we did. She's been keeping tabs on us, making sure everyone is safe."

"Why she stay away?"

"Part of the process at the labs is mind control. She hunts down mutants when she loses control of herself, and she doesn't want to endanger anyone here. This place is the last chance this world has at surviving. She doesn't want to ruin that."

He sighed heavily.

"You can go looking for her after I leave."

He smirked at his daughter after that comment, "Jus' point me in de right direction, _petite_."

"I doubt that'll help. But there is something you should see, something that I found at the bottom of the box you gave me. It was for you," she smiled a small one and handed him the note that Gambit had found when he opened the box for her.

She watched her father unfold it and read the contents. His smiled at the end of it, but then his face changed back to that sorrowful look that he had when he saw a past Rogue. Soleanna wanted to cry, really seeing now how much it hurt them to be apart. She didn't want this, what kind of person would? The parents she was dealing with now had no way of getting close to each other, Sole could see the way Rogue avoided Gambit. It was for her own good, didn't want to hurt him. But there had to be a way to get them together... right?

"How did she lose her powers?" asked Sole.

"You, _petite_."

"Me?"

He nodded, "After Magneto gone, you take her power, make it so she can have kids."

"Did I have different powers back then? I really have no idea how I'm supposed to do that..."

"_Non, belle._ De way y'are now is de way you first come back. Not'in' different. Tried to make it change, but maybe it a sign dat y'need to go back."

"I didn't know I could take powers away."

"De power to take life force be in you and her since de beginnin'."

"Wouldn't that kill her?"

"Y'have more control den her, Sole."

"I guess. Why can't you come back with us?"

He shook his head no, "Need t'find Rogue. Y'have t'be wit' de Prof. He help you."

"Because my powers were unstable. You send me to him because you saw your powers coming, didn't you?"

"_Oui._ An' only more come. Take yer time, Sole. No matter how bad it be here, you are goin' t'change it."

"I love you," she cried, hugging him fiercely.

"_Je t'aime ma belle fille_."


	28. Facing Destiny

Gambit as past, Remy as future, Wolverine as past, Logan as future and GO!

...

Gambit sat in his room in Forge's lab. He could tell that it once belonged to someone else, someone who probably didn't make it back. He couldn't sleep, his mind was racing. Soleanna grew up here after she was in the labs, this was where she was before she came to him in the past. Seeing his future self was unnerving, gave him an idea of how Rogue felt. He noticed the way Remy looked at the past version of Rogue. How long had they been separated? Had to be years. If only he knew what was going to happen. But would that matter? His daughter was going to change everything, make it so that they could all be together as a family. Gambit swore that when this was all over and Soleanna was born he was going to tell her everything. It wasn't fair that she had no answers, and he didn't really see a purpose to it. He would have to talk to himself about that, figure out why he did it that way. The girl was going to grow up with mutants and around them, it's not like it would all be so hard to believe.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at his door. Who could be wanting his attention at a time like this? He preferred to be alone right now. Curiously, he rose from his bed and went to open it. He was surprised to see Rogue standing there.

"Ah hope Ah'm not interruptin' anythang," she spoke in a low voice, probably so that if anyone else was around, they wouldn't hear her.

"_Chere,_ y'can never come at a bad time," he smiled widely at her. He moved so that she could come in and closed the door behind her, "What can dis Cajun do for ye?"

"Ah jus' can' make sense of it all," she began, "Ah saw what Ah would become, saw mah life an' know what'll happen. But Ah don' undastand how it all happens this way. Sole says Ah left for Lune, but Lune wants us all dead. An' if he came back t'stop us all, then we have to fight him. Ah don' wanna fight him, Gambit, Ah don' wanna hurt anymore o'mah kids."

"_Inquietude pas, ma cherie_. Even if he die, we make him again, an' do t'ings right," he soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah don' even know how we could have a child with mah powers."

"Dere be a way, Rogue. Has to, de kids proof o'dat."

"We been tryin' for so long, been through so much. How can ya stick with someone like meh?"

"_Vous etes ma lumiere et mon amour. Je pourrais ne jamais passer par la vie sans vous. Je t'aime Anna, n'bouliez jamais cela*,_" he spoke in a soothing voice, kissing her hair.

Rogue's heart melted right then and there. She gave him such a hard time since they had met, but she could never deny that she loved this Cajun more than she had loved anyone in her life. Somehow, they found a way to be together, and she knew that it was because he never gave up on her. They had a rocky relationship, on and off, pain and fun, but they always managed it, no matter what obstacle came at them.

"Ah have no idea what y'said, Cajun, but it betta be somethin' nice," she smiled brightly at him.

...

"Professor Xavier, why didn't you send me back with the others?" asked Scott. Things were really starting to heat up with Mystique and Lune on the loose.

"I need you here to lead the X-men if there is a serious threat," he replied.

"I fear waiting for the arrival of the other may prove problematic," said Hank, engrossed in the computer screen.

"We may not be able to stall them, but I do know that we can stay alive until the girl is properly informed. We cannot win without her."

"Wouldn't her interference just ensure Project Paradise?" asked Scott.

"Perhaps not. If I can put it into context, show the world the true nature of it, then perhaps I can find a way to stop it. But with Magneto on their side, it will be a difficult battle."

"Soleanna won't like what she hears."

"There is nothing that can be done. Too much has happened since she left and we cannot wait any longer once she is aware of the situation."

"A rage like hers could wipe out any one carrying the mutant gene," said Hank.

"We do not have a choice. If they are not back soon, we will have to prepare for what could be the final battle," said Xavier gravely.

...

"Why you still awake, kid?" asked Logan, noticing that her light was still on.

"Can't sleep," she replied, her eyes still focused on the ceiling. She was laying on her bed, over the covers, thinking to herself.

"You never did."

"I started sleeping since I was sent back. But being here again, I just fell back into my old routine I guess."

He grunted, closing the door and sitting in a chair, "I hear I been warmin' up to ya back there."

"You're the usual self as always. But I know how to deal with you. I knew you would figure it all out anyway, which is why I just didn't bother chasing you around. Too much shit is going on, and you're not one to ignore it."

"At least you learn fast."

"What choice did I really have? I just want all of this to be over.. I want to come home and be done with everything."

"Patience was always your biggest weakness, kid."

"I've spent my whole life waiting for everything I was told to wait for. Can you blame me for just wanting to be done with it?"

"No, patience takes time."

"You have more time than anyone."

"True. Gumbo tells me you saw Rogue out there and she's still alive to tell about it."

Sole smirked, "Yes, I've learned the truth. You assholes could have told me in the first place and avoided this whole conflict."

"Don't look at me kid, I been tellin' them that since the beginning. I remember when you first appeared. Somethin' didn't smell right, mostly cause I knew the relation before I even saw you. Had to be trick, but you proved everyone wrong. It's no different this time around, except the whole reason that we sent you back."

"I'm just going to have to go back again."

"You don't sound nearly as unhappy about it as the first time."

"Well no, because things will change, now that I actually know what I have to do."

"The battle doesn't end with Lune. You have to make sure that the mutant paradise, which is the new law, never happens."

"I know. But that shouldn't be too hard once I find the source of it all."

"You'll figure it out, kid," he smiled at her, then left her room.

...

Soleanna sat with her family, separate from the others in Forge's lab. She wasn't exactly ready to leave them yet, but she knew that she had to. She was determined to do things differently, make sure this time that her future turned out the way it was supposed to. She didn't know how long it was going to take, but she was not coming back until it was done. She already knew that she was the key to her birth, just had no idea how she was supposed to pull that off. She supposed it would all make sense eventually, just a matter of time. She had lots of time, and she didn't plan on wasting any of it.

"You go now, _petite_, I see you when you come back," her father told her, hugging her tightly.

"Good luck with mom," she spoke softly.

"Get outta here kid, I ain't goin' through this twice," said Logan.

"Good, you look stupid when you cry," she smiled sadly at him. She hugged him as well and then turned her back on her family once again.

Looking at the younger versions of them made it a little easier. Even if they didn't know her like the two men watching her now, they would treat her no differently than she was used to. Rogue would carry on the memories she had now with her daughter, while Gambit and Wolverine would form the bond that already existed between them. Sole had lots of family with the other X-men as well, and would make sure that it stayed that way. Forge handed her another pearl, and with one last look at her family, she stepped into the portal, shedding only one tear. She would be back, that was for sure.

...

sorry for how short it is, love you all! thanks so much for the support.


End file.
